upstairs

American  

[uhp-stairz] / ˈʌpˈstɛərz /

especially British, above stairs

adverb

1. up the stairs; to or on an upper floor.

2. Informal. in the mind.

   to be a little weak upstairs.

3. to or at a higher level of authority.

   You may have to take the matter upstairs.

4. Military Slang. at or to a higher level in the air.

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adjective

1. Also upstair of, relating to, or situated on an upper floor.

   an upstairs window;

   an upstairs apartment.

noun

• upstairs
  plural

1. (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.

2. a higher command or level of authority.

   We can't take action till we have approval from upstairs.

idioms

1. kick upstairs, to promote (a person) to a higher position, usually having less authority, in order to be rid of them.

upstairs British  

/ ˈʌpˈstɛəz /

adverb

1. up the stairs; to or on an upper floor or level

2. informal to or into a higher rank or office

3. informal in the mind

   a little weak upstairs

4. informal to promote to a higher rank or position, esp one that carries less power

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noun

1. 1. an upper floor or level

   2. ( as modifier )

      an upstairs room

2. informal the masters and mistresses of a household collectively, esp of a large house Compare downstairs

upstairs More Idioms  

1. see kick upstairs.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• upstairs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of upstairs

First recorded in 1590–1600; up- + stairs

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

upstairs

He debuted the offbeat experimental musical in fishnets and pearls in 1973 on the tiny stage upstairs at the Royal Court Theater in London, where it first became an underground sensation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Kitaj is the most melancholy of all the likenesses, and the only one that Ashbery did not tuck away but placed against a fireplace in an upstairs sitting room.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Ask the woman upstairs if she lost cash.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

"He walked into the hotel and told the receptionist that his girlfriend was upstairs having a seizure. He asked what room I was in and what floor I was staying on," she said.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

“Yes. He’s upstairs, dealing with a room service mishap. They’re a bit short-staffed here.”

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin