upward

American  

[uhp-werd] / ˈʌp wərd /

adverb

1. toward a higher place or position.

   The birds flew upward.

2. toward a higher or more distinguished condition, rank, level, etc..

   His employer wishes to move him upward in the company.

3. to a greater degree; more.

   fourscore and upward.

4. 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.

5. in the upper parts; above.

---

adjective

1. moving or tending upward; directed at or situated in a higher place or position.

idioms

1. upwards of, more than; above.

   My vacation cost me upwards of a thousand dollars.

upward British  

/ ˈʌpwəd /

adjective

1. directed or moving towards a higher point or level

---

adverb

1. a variant of upwards

Other Word Forms

• upwardly adverb
• upwardness noun

Etymology

Origin of upward

before 900; Middle English; Old English upweard (cognate with Dutch opwaart ). See up-, -ward

Example Sentences

Yet higher yields put upward pressure on borrowing costs, including 30-year mortgage rates.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

The Irish Rugby Football Union confirmed 35 centralised contracts for their sevens and XVs stars, with the hope of maintaining their upward trajectory.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

“Unless geopolitical tensions ease and oil prices correct clearly, upward pressure on the pair is likely to continue, potentially testing Japan’s willingness to intervene,” in the foreign-exchange market, the analysts add.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

But he’s not confident that son Blake, a 23-year-old student living at home, will be able keep the upward trajectory going.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

It was a gilded arch, from which a sunburst spiked upward, crowning the space between Gingersnipes’s ears.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Related Words

• higher
• skyward
• uphill