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.

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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

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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

“I think everyone in here,” May said, “appreciates upward mobility.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

“You’re telling me these women can never go to the Sands of Asase? Or sail the Oceans of Epo? They can’t check on their families in the upward world?”

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

• higher
• skyward
• uphill