I. ˈəpə(r) adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from uppe up + -er — more at up
1. : relatively high in physical position: as
a.
(1) : occupying high ground
keep the hills and upper regions — Shakespeare
(2) : farther inland
the upper Mississippi
carried squared timbers from the upper lakes lumber ports to the St. Lawrence — American Guide Series: Michigan
(3) usually capitalized : living on higher ground, farther inland, farther upstream, or farther north than others of the same group
the Upper Creek
b.
(1) : being a higher part especially of a pair or a set
upper lip
the upper stories of the building
(2) : worn over a part of the body above the waist
his upper clothes were black and his lower clothes red — J.G.Frazer
c. : directed upward
d. : being above or on the earth's surface rather than below it or in nether regions
those appointed to sit there had … flown to the upper world — John Milton
e.
(1) : being or occurring on a higher level with respect to the earth's surface
the upper atmosphere
upper plankton — R.E.Coker
(2) : constituting a stratum relatively near the earth's surface
(3) usually capitalized : being a later epoch or series of the period or series named
Upper Carboniferous
Upper Cretaceous
Upper Permian
Upper Silurian
— contrasted with Lower
2.
a. : higher in rank or order : superior in position
senates were substituted for councils as the upper house — Harvey Walker
the … club was generally restricted to the upper social brackets — Current Biography
specifically : being on a more advanced level in an educational system
the upper school
upper freshmen
b. : being of superior quality
the upper grades of lumber
3. archaic : worn on top of another garment : outer
4. : situated farther from the door : innermost
the upper end of the hall
5. : of or relating to higher musical pitch
although entirely different in their upper parts, they share the same bass — P.H.Lang
the most securely brilliant upper registers heard in the vast house in many years — Newsweek
6. : earlier
determines the upper limit of date
7. : being the northern part of an area
cut across upper New York to the Vermont state line — Budd Schulberg
upper Manhattan
II. noun
( -s )
: one that is upper: as
a. : the parts of a shoe or boot that are above the sole
b. uppers plural but sometimes singular in construction : the best grade of lumber : finish
c.
(1) : an upper tooth
has two uppers missing
(2) : an upper denture
d. : an upper berth
e. : a drill hole driven upward in a mine
f. : a piece of clothing worn above the waist : top
were allowed to remove their pink pajama uppers — Earle Birney
•
- on one's uppers
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: up (I) & up (III) + -er
: one that ups — sometimes used in combination
builder- upper
coffee, which he finds the best of all toner- uppers — H.W.Wind
IV. noun
1. : a stimulant drug ; especially : amphetamine — compare downer herein
2. : something that induces a state of good feeling or exhilaration