INDEX:
1. moving up to a higher place
2. looking, facing, or pointing upwards
3. to move upwards through the air
4. when something moves upwards into the air
5. to move up a slope or upstairs
6. when a road or path goes upwards
7. when the level of water goes up
8. when the sun or moon comes up into the sky
9. to move a part of your body upwards
10. to move up in a list
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ DOWN
when numbers, prices etc go up : ↑ INCREASE
see also
↑ POSITION/RANK
↑ SUCCEED/SUCCESSFUL
↑ CLIMB
↑ VERTICAL
↑ HIGH
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1. moving up to a higher place
▷ up /ʌp/ [preposition/adverb]
▪ The car went slowly up the hill.
▪ Lee gets out of breath just going up the stairs.
▪ There’s a great view from the top - you should go up and have a look.
up to/into/onto/over/at etc
▪ The fire sent clouds of smoke up into the sky.
▪ Don’t let the cat jump up onto the table.
▪ We made our way up to the top of the mountain.
straight up
▪ Serena was so scared she jumped straight up in the air.
up and down
▪ Pain was running up and down both his legs.
▷ upwards also upward American /ˈʌpwəʳd(z)/ [adverb]
towards a higher position, especially towards the sky :
▪ Alan grabbed hold of the ledge and began to climb upward.
▪ A few snowflakes fell toward the ground, then blew upward with the next gust of wind.
▪ The lighter material floats upwards, carrying heat to the surface of the liquid.
upward [adjective only before noun]
▪ She massaged my back with a light upward movement.
▷ uphill /ˌʌpˈhɪl◂/ [adverb]
towards a higher position by means of a road or path that goes up a hill :
▪ I don’t like cycling uphill.
▪ The children were running uphill towards the house.
▪ Our guide led us uphill along a steep trail.
▷ upstairs /ˌʌpˈsteəʳz◂/ [adverb]
towards a higher floor in a building by means of stairs :
▪ Lucy came rushing upstairs after her sister.
▪ Don’t go upstairs - Mom’s still getting dressed.
▪ Flora watched Mrs Brown staggering upstairs with a heavy tray.
▷ higher and higher /ˌhaɪər ənd ˈhaɪəʳ/ [adverb]
if something moves higher and higher, it continues to move towards a higher position in the sky :
▪ The moon rose higher and higher.
▪ The kite went higher and higher into the sky.
▪ I watched as the birds flew higher and higher, grew smaller, and then disappeared.
2. looking, facing, or pointing upwards
▷ upwards also upward American /ˈʌpwəʳd(z)/ [adverb]
▪ He held the palms of his hands upward as if he were asking forgiveness.
▪ A copy of the book lay on the table, its cover facing upwards.
▪ All eyes were turned upward toward the man standing on the ledge.
upward [adjective]
▪ Hector gave her an upward glance and then continued reading the paper.
▷ up /ʌp/ [adverb]
use this to say where someone or something is looking, facing, or pointing :
▪ Caroline looked up and laughed.
up at/into/from etc
▪ The boy turned and stared up at her.
▪ The receptionist hardly looked up from her book when I came in the office.
▪ We stood there for a moment, gazing up into the snow-covered branches of the tree.
straight up
▪ He was pointing his rifle straight up in the air.
▷ face-up /ˌfeɪs ˈʌp/ [adverb]
if someone or something is lying face-up, they are lying with their face pointing upwards :
▪ Police found the body lying face-up in the hall.
▪ He put all his cards face-up on the table.
3. to move upwards through the air
▷ go up /ˌgəʊ ˈʌp/ [verb phrase]
▪ Mervyn had never invited her to go up in his little plane.
▪ If you want to make the kite go up, pull the string hard, then release it slowly.
▷ rise /raɪz/ [intransitive verb]
to move straight up into the air :
▪ Hot air rises.
rise in/into
▪ A stream of water rose into the air, arched smoothly, and fell back into the pool.
rise up
▪ Clouds of smoke rose up into the air.
▷ ascend /əˈsend/ [intransitive verb] formal
to move up through the air :
▪ A huge flock of red-wing blackbirds ascended from their nests along the side of the road.
▪ He leaned out of an upstairs window and felt a current of warm air ascending from the street.
▷ climb /klaɪm/ [intransitive verb]
if a bird or a plane climbs, it gradually goes higher up into the sky :
▪ As the plane began to climb, Karen started to feel ill.
▪ The geese climbed high above us and set off on their long journey south.
▷ gain height /ˌgeɪn ˈhaɪt/ [verb phrase]
if an aircraft gains height, it gradually moves higher up into the sky :
▪ Investigators are uncertain why the plane failed to gain height after takeoff.
▪ Gliders use thermal up-currents to gain height.
▷ shoot up /ˌʃuːt ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to suddenly go up into the air very quickly :
▪ Flames shot up into the air and clouds of smoke poured out of the windows.
▪ I saw a spray of white water shoot up into the sky and knew that there were whales nearby.
▷ soar /sɔːʳ/ [intransitive verb]
to go quickly upwards to a great height in the air :
soar upwards/up/above/into etc
▪ The ball soared high into the air.
▪ The snow goose flew down low over the field and then soared back up gracefully.
4. when something moves upwards into the air
▷ leave the ground /ˌliːv ðə ˈgraʊnd/ [verb phrase]
▪ Gunmen started firing at the helicopter as it left the ground.
▪ The plane had barely left the ground when it began to experience engine trouble.
▷ take off /ˌteɪk ˈɒf/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a plane or a bird takes off, it leaves the ground and start flying :
▪ Some ducks took off and flew along the river.
▪ We had to wait on the runway for a half an hour before we finally took off.
take off from
▪ The president’s plane took off from Andrews Air Force Base at 9:45 am.
takeoff/take-off /ˈteɪkɒfǁ-ɔːf/ [countable/uncountable noun]
▪ The takeoff and landing were a little rough, but the rest of the flight was very smooth.
▷ lift off /ˌlɪft ˈɒf/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a space ship lifts off, it leaves the ground and starts its journey into space :
▪ There was a burst of flame as the rocket lifted off into the sky.
▪ Thousands of people had gathered at Cape Canaveral to watch the rocket lift off.
lift-off /ˈlɪft ɒf/ [countable/uncountable noun]
▪ This is Houston. We have lift-off the rocket is now lifting off .
▷ blast off /ˌblɑːst ˈɒfǁˌblæst-/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a space ship blasts off, it leaves the ground with an explosion of fire and starts its journey into space :
▪ The space shuttle is set to blast off on a nine-day mission tomorrow at 4:18 a.m.
blast-off /ˈblɑːst ɒfǁˈblæst-/ [countable/uncountable noun]
▪ Minutes after blast-off the rocket exploded.
▷ launch /lɔːntʃ/ [transitive verb]
to send a rocket up into the air or into space :
launch a rocket/missile/satellite etc
▪ China is planning to launch a space rocket later this month.
▪ On the first day of the war over 400 missiles were launched.
launch [countable/uncountable noun]
▪ During the launch, two rockets boost the shuttle before separating and falling back into the sea.
5. to move up a slope or upstairs
▷ go up /ˌgəʊ ˈʌp/ [transitive verb not in passive]
▪ You have to go up two flights of stairs, and then it’s the second door on your right.
▪ Hundreds of people lined the street, cheering the runners as they went up the hill.
▷ climb/climb up /klaɪm, ˌklaɪm ˈʌp/ [transitive verb]
to go up a steep slope, especially with a lot of effort :
▪ The old man slowly climbed up the stairs to his room.
▪ We had to climb a pretty big hill to get to the temple.
climb [singular noun]
▪ The tour begins with a steep climb up one of the city’s many hills.
▷ ascend /əˈsend/ [transitive verb] formal
to go up a slope, a ladder, or stairs :
▪ He was turning to ascend the ladder to the engine room when the ship’s fire alarm sounded.
▪ Bianca walked regally across the hall and ascended the marble staircase.
6. when a road or path goes upwards
▷ go up /ˌgəʊ ˈʌp/ [verb phrase]
▪ The road goes up from the beach into the forest.
▪ I could see a tiny track going up ahead of us.
▷ climb /klaɪm/ [intransitive verb]
to go up steeply :
▪ The road climbs steadily, reaching 6,000 feet after 18 miles.
▪ The path climbs high into the hills above the village of Glenridding.
7. when the level of water goes up
▷ rise /raɪz/ [intransitive verb]
if the level of water rises, it goes up, especially in a way that causes danger, problems etc :
▪ The level of the water in the lake was rising fast.
▪ In 1956 the river rose to a height of more than 6 metres.
▪ The waves rose higher and higher till the rocks behind them were hidden.
▪ Floodwaters continue to rise as the rain continues to fall.
8. when the sun or moon comes up into the sky
▷ rise /raɪz/ [intransitive verb]
if the sun or the moon rises, it goes above the level of the horizon or it goes further up into the sky :
▪ A full moon rose over the valley.
▪ What time does the sun rise tomorrow morning?
▪ The moon rises nearly an hour later each night.
▪ By midday the sun had risen high in the sky and was burning down on us.
▷ come up /ˌkʌm ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if the sun or the moon comes up, it moves above the level of the horizon :
▪ The moon came up slowly over the pine trees.
▪ The sun was coming up and you could just see the tops of the mountains.
9. to move a part of your body upwards
▷ raise /reɪz/ [transitive verb]
▪ She raised her head and looked at him.
▪ If you want to ask a question, please raise your hand first.
▪ ‘Oh really?’ Zack said, raising an eyebrow.
▷ lift/lift up /lɪft, ˌlɪft ˈʌp/ [transitive verb]
to raise part of your body such as your arm or your leg, especially carefully or with effort :
▪ Her shoulder muscles had become so weak that she could not lift her arms.
lift up something
▪ It took him a great deal of effort just to lift up his arm a few inches.
lift something up
▪ OK, now lift your right leg up as far as it will go.
▷ put up /ˌpʊt ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to raise your hand or arm :
put up something
▪ I gasped and put up a hand to cover my mouth.
▪ He swore at us and put up his fists as if he was going to punch one of us.
put something up
▪ Rachel put both her hands up to shield her eyes from the sun.
10. to move up in a list
▷ move up /ˌmuːv ˈʌp/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
▪ With this win Williams moves up to third place in the world rankings.
move up something
▪ FC Roma are slowly moving up the league table.
▷ rise /raɪz/ [intransitive verb]
to gradually move up in a list or group of people, teams, records etc :
▪ Hobson’s novel has risen steadily up the bestseller list since it’s release last August.
rise to
▪ Borland rose to the top of the computer software industry by a mixture of innovation and good marketing.
▷ climb /klaɪm/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to move up in a list of teams, records etc, especially a long way up the list :
climb to
▪ Jennifer Lopez’s new single has climbed to number two in the US charts.
climb the table/charts etc
▪ Towards the end of the season Benfica suddenly climbed the league table and finished third.
▷ shoot up /ˌʃuːt ˈʌp/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to move up very quickly in a list of people, teams, records etc :
shoot up in
▪ Since the debate Robertson has shot up in the polls.
shoot up something
▪ The new detective series quickly shot up the TV ratings.