higher-up

American  

[hahy-er-uhp] / ˈhaɪ ərˈʌp /

noun

Informal.

1. a person in a position of higher authority in an organization; superior.

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higher-up British  

noun

1. informal a person of higher rank or in a superior position

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Etymology

Origin of higher-up

1910–15, noun use of adj. phrase higher up

Example Sentences

But he said the man insisted Dunlap see the “bossman” and left him in the glass room for about five minutes as he went to get a higher-up.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

“This alleged incident didn’t come up,” an unnamed higher-up in the transition team told Vanity Fair.

From Salon • Nov. 15, 2024

"Another participant exhibited more symmetric use but also compensated with their less-affected side slightly more often for higher-up points that were close to the mid-line."

From Science Daily • Nov. 16, 2023

In Washington, it can mean anyone who serves a higher-up, in any capacity.

From Washington Post • Jul. 1, 2022

He was recruited to do this job, not by Kyril Montana, but rather by some other higher-up undercover police functionaries who had decided Montana’s approach to the whole affair was much too conservative.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols