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Synonyms

upper story

Idioms  

  1. The head or brain, as in He's not all there in the upper story. This expression transfers the literal sense of a higher floor in a multistory building to the top portion of the human body. Richard Bentley used it in A Dissertation on the Epistles of Phalaris (1699), where he compares a man with “brains ... in his head” to a man who has “furniture in his upper story.”

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.

Standing outside the city hospital, Karim El Baridi said his uncle was being treated for broken ribs after leaping out of an upper story for fear his building would collapse.

From Reuters • Sep. 9, 2023

Shortly after midnight, a motorcyclist passing by noticed smoke coming from an upper story and alerted guards.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 11, 2023

One photo appeared to show damage to the upper story of the kindergarten.

From New York Times • Jan. 18, 2023

You might even consider moving valuables from the ground floor to an upper story of your home.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2023

The warmth of my breath closed around me, and when she tilted back to scan the upper story of my house, her face was featureless.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

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.