up the river

Idioms  

1. To or in prison, as in They sent him up the river for five years. This phrase originally referred to Sing-Sing Prison, on the Hudson River about 30 miles north of New York City. So used from about 1890 on, it was broadened to apply to any prison by the early 1900s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

up the river

Greenwater ran some tests that worked in 250-gallon containers, but didn’t meaningfully clean up the river, Howard said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

The payments will be used in part to clean up the river, including addressing contamination from its former power plants.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 5, 2024

The plaintiffs have argued that allowing water diversions to dry up the river violates California’s public trust doctrine, the principle that certain natural resources must be preserved for the public.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2023

Sunardi's village has been digging up the river bed since June, when the water in their wells ran out.

From Reuters ● Aug. 9, 2023

“I will go up the river and talk to the tribes these men have wronged,” he says.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

Related Words

• cell
• lockup
• penitentiary
• prison