upthrust

[ uhp-thruhst ]

noun
  1. a thrust in an upward direction.

  2. a sudden and forceful upward movement, as of a nation's economy or the stock market: Market observers are hoping the upthrust can be sustained.

  1. Geology. an upheaval.

verb (used without object)
  1. to thrust upward: Frost caused the ground to upthrust.

Origin of upthrust

1
First recorded in 1840–50; up- + thrust

Words Nearby upthrust

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use upthrust in a sentence

  • Beneath them was a blur of whirling white; ahead was an upthrust mountain range upon which they were driving.

  • The two men were still sitting on the logs and leaning lazily against upthrust boughs.

    The Young Trailers | Joseph A. Altsheler
  • Mr. Pennypacker leaned with an air of satisfaction against the upthrust bough of a fallen oak.

    The Young Trailers | Joseph A. Altsheler
  • At length a heavy, straight upthrust encountered no obstacle of bone, and the blade bit deep and deeper into living flesh.

    The Promise | James B. Hendryx
  • Huge stumps upthrust like beacons in a ruffled harbor, grim, massive butts.

    Big Timber | Bertrand W. Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for upthrust

upthrust

/ (ˈʌpˌθrʌst) /


noun
  1. an upward push or thrust

  2. geology a violent upheaval of the earth's surface

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