upriver

American  

[uhp-riv-er] / ˈʌpˈrɪv ər /

adverb

1. in the direction of or nearer the source of a river.

   It's hard to paddle a canoe upriver; an upriver settlement of tribes.

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upriver British  

/ ˈʌpˈrɪvə /

adjective

1. towards or near the source of a river

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noun

1. an area located upstream

Etymology

Origin of upriver

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40; up- + river ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

upriver

Port Kaituma is inland in the oil-rich Essequibo region, and the ferry travels along the coast in the Atlantic before heading upriver to reach its jungle destination.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

Dozens of Wisconsinites volunteer each spring to keep watch against poachers as the sturgeon make their way upriver to spawn; thousands more come to watch.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

Whilst bears are generally solitary, this one was heading to feast with others on the glut of sockeye salmon migrating upriver from the Pacific to their origin lake to spawn.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2025

But 13 miles upriver from the park where he was jogging, the river began — at 3:10 a.m. — to rise 25 feet in just two hours.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2025

For a start, he would have sent a few of his swiftest ships to probe upriver and see what awaited them, instead of smashing in headlong.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin