I. up ‧ right 1 /ˈʌpraɪt/ BrE AmE adjective , adverb
1 . standing or sitting straight up
sit/stand/walk upright
The chimpanzee stood upright and grasped the bars of its cage.
Katie was still awake, sitting bolt upright (=sitting with her back very straight) staring at the television.
pull/push/draw etc yourself upright
He pulled himself upright and faced me.
2 . placed in a vertical position (=pointing in a line that is at an angle of 90° to a flat surface) :
Your seat should be in the upright position when the plane is landing.
Keep the bottle upright.
3 . always behaving in an honest way:
He was a good honest upright man.
—uprightness noun [uncountable]
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ sit upright
She was sitting upright in bed.
▪ stand upright
The ceiling was so low I was unable to stand upright.
▪ walk upright
These apes came down from the trees and gradually learned to walk upright.
▪ pull/push yourself upright
He pulled himself upright on the sofa.
▪ draw yourself upright (=stand straighter)
Susan drew herself upright and thrust out her chin.
■ phrases
▪ sit/stand bolt upright (=sit or stand with your back very straight)
Murphy and I both sat bolt upright when we heard the alarm.
■ nouns
▪ an upright posture/stance (=a straight body position)
He appears big because of his powerful shoulders and upright posture.
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THESAURUS
■ not cheating, stealing, lying etc
▪ honest always saying what is true, and not cheating, stealing etc:
I liked them because they were good honest people.
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You can trust Noah – he’s totally honest.
▪ reputable known to be honest and good in your business or work – used about people, companies, or organizations:
It’s best to buy from a reputable company.
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They were highly reputable sports physicians.
▪ above board [not before noun] honest and legal – used about the way something is done, organized etc:
The deal was entirely above board.
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Was the voting in the elections above board?
▪ upright written always behaving in an honest way:
an upright citizen
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George was an upright man from a military family.
II. upright 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
a long piece of wood or metal that stands straight up and supports something