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

Climate change likely plays a role, since they prefer warmer water, but the farmed oysters introduced in the 1970s and ’80s may have helped by cleaning up the river.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

This year's swan upping trip up the river had the involvement of schools along the route, in an attempt to spread the message about protecting wildlife.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2024

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

I wanted even more for him to be the one to bring us up the river.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer

Related Words

• cell
• lockup
• penitentiary
• prison