upward
Americanadverb
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toward a higher place or position.
The birds flew upward.
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toward a higher or more distinguished condition, rank, level, etc..
His employer wishes to move him upward in the company.
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to a greater degree; more.
fourscore and upward.
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toward a large city, the source or origin of a stream, or the interior of a country or region.
They followed the Thames River upward from the North Sea to London.
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in the upper parts; above.
adjective
idioms
adjective
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of upward
before 900; Middle English; Old English upweard (cognate with Dutch opwaart ). See up-, -ward
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.
Upward pressure on mortgage rates from the bond market isn’t helping.
From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026
Upward mobility can be imported into neighborhoods, according to results just released by Chetty and his co-authors, Rebecca Diamond, Thomas Foster, Lawrence Katz, Sonya Porter, Matthew Staiger and Laura Tach.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026
Upward forces from the ocean water could "lift" the thinning ice essentially all at once, they argue - causing icebergs to break off and the glacier to retreat in quick time.
From BBC • Nov. 3, 2025
Upward pressure on inflation and pressure to finance the U.S. deficit should result in the market “clearing with higher yields over time.”
From MarketWatch • Oct. 17, 2025
Upward mobility was more difficult to achieve in the larger, more bureaucratic operation at Mother Langley, with a well-developed management structure.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
