up to
Idioms-
As far as or approaching a certain point. For example, The water was nearly up to the windowsill , or They allowed us up to two hours to finish the test , or This seed should yield up to 300 bushels per acre . [c. a.d. 950]
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be up to . Be able to do or deal with, as in When I got home, she asked if I was up to a walk on the beach . This usage is often put negatively, that is, not be up to something , as in He's not up to a long drive . [Late 1700s]
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Occupied with, engaged in, as in What have you been up to lately? This usage can mean “devising” or “scheming,” as in We knew those two were up to something . It also appears in up to no good , meaning “occupied with or devising something harmful,” as in I'm sure those kids are up to no good . [First half of 1800s]
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Dependent on, as in The success of this project is up to us . [c. 1900] Also see the following idioms beginning with up to .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Another Reddit user wrote that they witnessed a recovery operation near Mist Trail, which leads up to the fall.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026
A similar S&P survey of U.S. manufacturers, meanwhile, crept up to a four-year high of 55.7 in June.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026
Bank of Canada Gov. Tiff Macklem said it is up to global officials to adjust their policies to encourage increased savings in the U.S., more consumption in China and a pickup in investment in Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
On Monday at least five tankers previously sanctioned by the US for links with Iran moved through the strait, ship tracking data shows, carrying up to four million barrels of oil.
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026
Once, we’d teamed up to teach a group of Red Lake rez kids how to play Cherokee marbles out on the dock, and Trey had given me this look.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
