upsweep
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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a sweeping upward, as an increase in elevation or a steep slope.
-
a hairdo produced by having the hair combed or brushed upward to the top of the head; an upswept hairdo.
-
a strongly pronounced rise in activity, as in business.
-
a curved shape of the lower jaw of some animals.
noun
-
a curve or sweep upwards
-
an upswept hairstyle
verb
Etymology
Origin of upsweep
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.
See Examples For:
One, Meredith Monk, recalled how Ms. Slavenska would enter the studio: leggings under a fur coat and a beautiful upsweep.
From New York Times ● Jan. 30, 2015
Removing the chopsticks that held her dark waist-length hair in an upsweep, Ms. Lee beamed mischief.
From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2010
Well, sans an inch on either side, these bars from Animal are pretty much identical with eight inches of rise, five degrees of upsweep, and eight inches of backsweep.
From Time Magazine Archive
The Emiles reported no grey hairs on either side; achieved a soft upsweep wave over the ears that fetched applause from newshens.
From Time Magazine Archive
April was still wearing her hair in a messy upsweep and her mother’s ratty old fur stole, even though her grandmother had given her a great new jacket.
From "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
He writes, “That upsweeping electric hair is the poet’s helmet, his rooster comb.”
From New York Times ● May 25, 2011
His regal commanding blasts, his upsweeping marching violins, his pompous and majestic orchestra, existed in the American scene.
From Musical Portraits Interpretations of Twenty Modern Composers by Rosenfeld, Paul
Far beyond, between its lofty skeleton towers and upsweeping side webs, appeared, in seemingly reduced proportions, the towers and webs of the north cantilever, across on the north edge of the channel of the strait.
From Out of the Primitive by Bennet, Robert Ames
Eagerly I marked the flowing undulations of their firm, braided muscles, their strong legs, ears, eyes, heads, their graceful rounded necks, the color of their hair, and the bold, upsweeping curves of their noble horns.
From The Mountains of California by Muir, John
Never mind that it was said to have been dreamed up by kids at a soda fountain that Short frequented and referred mainly to her upswept hairdo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
It's reminiscent of a cooking wok or the upswept eaves of a Chinese temple.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2025
Ryan Nelson renders upswept hair with precisely inked lines in his depiction of a woman that focuses on her bouffant.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 2, 2022
A black-and-white photo on display at the memorial, taken in Lima around 1950, showed an elegant young woman in a beautifully fitted jacket, gloves and upswept hat, gazing confidently at the camera.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 22, 2022
Celia stands in the doorway, stray curls escaping her upswept hair.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
