upload
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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software, data, etc., that has been uploaded.
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the act or process of uploading.
verb
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To transfer data or programs from one's own computer or digital device to a server or host computer.
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Compare download
Etymology
Origin of upload
Explanation
When you send any kind of data from your computer to the internet, you upload it. Want to change your social media profile picture? Just upload a new photo — maybe that one of you and your cat dressed in matching sweaters! Any time you share photos online, submit an assignment to the school website, or even send an email, you upload data. Typically this means transferring electronic information from an individual computer to a larger network or server. To download is the exact opposite — when you download something, you transfer it from a server to your computer. Both words date from about 1980.
Vocabulary lists containing upload
Computer Science and Technology - Introductory
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Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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Computer Science and Technology - High School
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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.
Upload speeds were also higher with Surfshark, often exceeding 60 Mbps, compared to NordVPN’s 2.2 to 2.7 Mbps in Australia.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026
One smart strategy: Upload your draft of a review and ask the system for help improving clarity, making a particular section more succinct or softening the tone, for example.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026
It also quietly added legs to its previously upper-body-only virtual reality avatars, as spotted by industry blog Upload VR.
From Reuters • Sep. 27, 2023
Before the strikes began, Brightlight, a leader in Canada's film and television industry, was home to shows like Amazon's Upload, ABC's The Good Doctor, and Firefly Lane on Netflix.
From BBC • Jul. 14, 2023
Upload Copy a file from your computer to a host system.
From Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet by Electronic Frontier Foundation
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.
