upstairs
up the stairs; to or on an upper floor.
Informal. in the mind: to be a little weak upstairs.
to or at a higher level of authority: You may have to take the matter upstairs.
Military Slang. at or to a higher level in the air.
Also upstair . of, relating to, or situated on an upper floor: an upstairs window;an upstairs apartment.
(usually used with a singular verb) an upper story or stories; the part of a building or house that is above the ground floor: The upstairs of this house is entirely rented.
a higher command or level of authority: We can't take action till we have approval from upstairs.
Idioms about upstairs
kick upstairs, to promote (a person) to a higher position, usually having less authority, in order to be rid of them.
Origin of upstairs
1- Also especially British, above stairs .
Words Nearby upstairs
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use upstairs in a sentence
On the night Al Capone died, she remembers her mother leading her upstairs to his room and her father lifting her onto the bed.
Mobster Al Capone’s granddaughters are selling his possessions, partly out of fear of wildfires | Marisa Iati | August 25, 2021 | Washington PostMy main focus is to balance and step IN BETWEEN lines, never on one … Of course going downstairs you step in between every line but upstairs you skip every other bar.
Our brains exist in a state of “controlled hallucination” | Matthew Hutson | August 25, 2021 | MIT Technology ReviewThis allowed for two bedrooms upstairs and a bathroom where only short people could stand up to take care of business.
A cordless vacuum cleaner lets you clean around furniture and move upstairs without tripping over a cord.
Stick it to dirt and dust with the best vacuum on the market | Florie Korani | July 28, 2021 | Popular-ScienceI found the mode especially useful at times when I suspected my wife was about to call me upstairs to hold the baby.
Jaybird Vista 2 review: Customizable sound for all athletes | Billy Cadden | June 21, 2021 | Popular-Science
upstairs, in the living room, splintered logs of hemlock cackled and spat from inside the wood stove.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau | Ian Frisch | December 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA man who lived upstairs opened his door and witnessed the attack.
He was taken back to the cell upstairs, where his time in detention would span 20 days.
Abducted, Tortured, Indoctrinated: The Tale of a Teen Who Escaped ISIS | Yusuf Sayman | August 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe was told to address the management upstairs with that question.
I Heard About the Latest Crazed Shooter While I Watched the World Cup with Guys He Almost Killed | Daniel Genis | July 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI went upstairs and stared out the window for a little while.
The Shocking ‘Fargo’ Finale: Creator Noah Hawley Breaks Down the Epic Bloodbath | Kevin Fallon | June 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe governor went upstairs and found Juan de Messa in the hall.
The Professor put down his cards without a word, and left the room, going straight upstairs.
Uncanny Tales | VariousWhen he was gone, Isaacson returned to his sitting-room upstairs and lit a nargeeleh pipe.
Bella Donna | Robert HichensHaving reduced Punch to a second agony of tears Harry departed upstairs with the news that Punch was still rebellious.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II | Rudyard Kipling"Give us a table upstairs alone," said Nigel to the head-steward, putting something into his hand.
Bella Donna | Robert Hichens
British Dictionary definitions for upstairs
/ (ˈʌpˈstɛəz) /
up the stairs; to or on an upper floor or level
informal to or into a higher rank or office
informal in the mind: a little weak upstairs
kick upstairs informal to promote to a higher rank or position, esp one that carries less power
an upper floor or level
(as modifier): an upstairs room
British informal, old-fashioned the masters and mistresses of a household collectively, esp of a large house: Compare downstairs (def. 3)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with upstairs
see kick upstairs.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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