English words starting with up

Meanings of Up:

adverb

Towards a higher place or position.

Usage examples:

He jumped up

preposition

From a lower to a higher point of (something).

Usage examples:

She climbed up a flight of steps

adjective

Directed or moving towards a higher place or position.

Usage examples:

The up escalator

noun

A period of good fortune or positive mood.

Usage examples:

You can't have ups all the time in football

verb

Denoting a flavour (variety) of stable quark having relatively low mass and an electric charge of + 2/3. in the standard model protons and neutrons are composed of up and down quarks.

prefix

(added to verbs and their derivatives) upwards.

Usage examples:

Upturned

abbreviation

Upper peninsula (of the state of michigan).

Usage examples:

Her in-laws initiated her into all the charming ways of the up

Meanings of Up a creek:

idiom

In a difficult situation

Usage examples:

If any more people resign, we'll be really up the creek., he doesn't have a computer and without th…

Meanings of Up for grabs:

phrase

Available

Usage examples:

The job was still up for grabs.

Meanings of Up in arms:

phrase

Protesting vigorously about something.

Usage examples:

Teachers are up in arms about new school tests

idiom

Angry or upset

Usage examples:

The union is up in arms over the reduction in health benefits.

Meanings of Up the ante:

phrase

Increase what is at stake or under discussion, especially in a conflict or dispute.

Usage examples:

He decided to up the ante in the trade war

idiom

To increase your risks or demands in order to get a greater advantage

Usage examples:

The governor upped the ante in her war of words with the mayor, by calling him "dangerous" for the …

Meanings of Up the duff:

adjective

Pregnant.

Usage examples:

It looks like he's got her up the duff

phrase

Pregnant

Usage examples:

Two days before i was due to have an appointment with the doctor, i found out i was up the duff., t…

Meanings of Up to:

phrase

Busy or occupied with

adverb

Toward a higher position, or toward a higher value, number, or level

Usage examples:

Pick up your clothes and put them away., we need to push sales figures up higher next quarter., the…

Meanings of Up to scratch:

phrase

Up to the required standard; satisfactory.

Usage examples:

Her german was not up to scratch

idiom

As good as the usual standard

Usage examples:

The last few episodes of the tv program haven’t been quite up to scratch.

Meanings of Up to snuff:

phrase

Up to the required standard.

Usage examples:

They need a million dollars to get their facilities up to snuff

idiom

Good enough

Usage examples:

Her work isn’t up to snuff.

Meanings of Up-a:

phrasal verb

To stay in a safe place, often as a way of escape

Usage examples:

While writing his book, he holed up for a year at a cabin in the woods.

collocation

To do something wrong or badly

Usage examples:

They seem to be making a cock-up of everything at the moment., i've made the biggest cock-up of my …

Meanings of Up-against:

phrasal verb

To experience an unexpected difficulty, or to meet someone who is difficult to deal with

Usage examples:

He’s the slickest talker i’ve ever run up against.

Meanings of Up-against-it:

phrasal verb

To have to deal with a problem

Usage examples:

If you come up against difficulties, let me know and i'll help out.

Meanings of Up-and-coming:

adjective

Likely to achieve success in the near future

Usage examples:

Tatiana is an up-and-coming young actress.

Meanings of Up-and-down:

adverb

In one direction and then in the opposite direction, esp. repeatedly

Usage examples:

The dog was running up and down the path.

Meanings of Up-and-running:

idiom

If something, especially a system or a machine, is up and running it is operating

Usage examples:

The engineer soon got the air-conditioning up and running again.

Meanings of Up-for:

phrase

Intended, suggested, or being considered for something

Usage examples:

Up for sale that house at the end of our road is up for sale again., are you really up for promotio…

Meanings of Up-for-it:

collocation

If a child is put up for adoption, the authorities look for someone to legally and permanently take the child and raise them

Usage examples:

The baby girls were put up for adoption and were placed with their maternal grandmother., the mothe…

Meanings of Up-front:

phrase

If you give someone an amount of money up front, you pay that person before they do something for you

Usage examples:

He wants all the money up front or he won't do the job., they charge £2,500 up front, and then the …

Meanings of Up-in-the:

idiom

Uncertain and with an unknown result

Usage examples:

The whole future of the project is still up in the air.

Meanings of Up-in-the-air:

idiom

Not yet determined

phrase

(of a plan or issue) still to be settled; unresolved.

Usage examples:

The fate of the power station is up in the air

Meanings of Up-on:

phrasal verb

To do something that you have not been able to do recently

Usage examples:

I have to catch up on my reading.

Meanings of Up-sticks:

idiom

To take all the things that you own and go and live in a different place

Usage examples:

This is the fourth time in five years that we've had to up sticks.

Meanings of Up-the-spout:

idiom

Wasted, spoiled, or not working correctly

Usage examples:

He said the decision meant that nearly £3m of shareholders' money was up the spout., peter lost his…

Meanings of Up-till:

idiom

Until

Usage examples:

Up to yesterday, we had no idea where the child was.

Meanings of Up-to-a-point:

idiom

Partly, or to a limited degree

Usage examples:

Of course there is some truth in all this, but only up to a point., the new traffic system worked u…