You use upper to describe something that is above something else.
There is a smart restaurant on the upper floor.
Students travel on the cheap lower deck and tourists on the upper.
Synonyms: topmost, top More Synonyms of upper
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
You use upper to describe the higher part of something.
...the upper part of the foot.
...the muscles of the upper back and chest.
...the upper rungs of the ladder.
Synonyms: higher, high More Synonyms of upper
3.
See the upper hand
4. countable noun [usually plural]
The upper of a shoe is the top part of it, which is attached to the sole and the heel.
Wear well-fitting, lace-up shoes with soft uppers.
Leather uppers allow the feet to breathe.
5. countable noun
Uppers are drugs that make you feel very happy, excited, and full of energy.
[informal]
...people crazy on uppers and downers.
I'd taken a handful of uppers.
6. a stiff upper lip
More Synonyms of upper
upper in British English
(ˈʌpə)
adjective
1.
higher or highest in relation to physical position, wealth, rank, status, etc
2. (capital when part of a name)
lying farther upstream, inland, or farther north
the upper valley of the Loire
3. (capital when part of a name) geology, archaeology
denoting the late part or division of a period, system, formation, etc
Upper Palaeolithic
4. mathematics
(of a limit or bound) greater than or equal to one or more numbers or variables
noun
5.
the higher of two objects, people, etc
6.
the part of a shoe above the sole, covering the upper surface of the foot
7. on one's uppers
8. informal
any tooth of the upper jaw
9. Also called (esp US): up slang
any of various drugs having a stimulant or euphoric effect
Compare downer
upper in American English
(ˈʌpər)
adjective
1.
in a place or on a level above another
upper lip, upper jaw, upper floor
2.
higher in rank, authority, or dignity
the upper classes
3.
being farther north, farther inland, or at a higher elevation of land
the upper St. Lawrence
4. [U-]; Archeology and Geology
more recent; later
, used of a division of a period [Upper Cambrian, Upper Paleolithic]
noun
5.
the part of a shoe or boot above the sole
6. US, Informal
an upper berth, as in a Pullman car
7. [pl.]; Informal
the upper teeth or dentures
8. Slang
any drug containing a stimulant; esp., an amphetamine
Idioms:
on one's uppers
Word origin
ME, compar. of up, up1
More idioms containing
upper
have the upper hand
keep a stiff upper lip
Examples of 'upper' in a sentence
upper
He is a great athlete with a strong upper body for shrugging people off.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The best homes are in the upper west end.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
He is very strong in the upper body and in the legs and so it is very hard being up against him.
The Sun (2017)
During the summer they are truly golden birds, with shining gold upper parts.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Your upper limit is likely to be your colleague's lowest ebb.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
That could have given their team the upper hand, but he needed boots on the ground.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A wall was blown out and part of the upper floor collapsed.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Those who regularly attend games here talk of their alienation from the upper echelons, the money and the bling.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Way above in the upper atmosphere, ripples of glowing light were spotted tracking across the sky in tandem with the tsunami below.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Take time to stretch both upper and lower body on all workouts.
The Sun (2012)
Something has changed in the upper atmosphere of our politics.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
This gives you the lower and upper end of your aerobic training zone.
Lycholat, Tony Shape Your Body, Shape Your Life (1987)
The large but incomplete hull lacks upper decks.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The final step brought us to the firm floor of the upper room.
Charles Glass The Tribes Triumphant (2006)
Your upper back also benefits from the position you sit in during cycling.
The Sun (2014)
We battle the upper echelons of super villains.
The Sun (2014)
You tense your abdominal muscles when you speak rather than your throat and upper chest.
Christianity Today (2000)
This shows an inclination to avoid the upper part of a vertical frame.
Freeman, Michael Collins Complete Guide to Photography (1993)
Twenty-five percent was thus the upper limit beyond which oxygen could not rise.
Oliver Morton Eating the Sun: How Plants Power the Planet (2007)
The two upper floors are reached by a sweeping staircase.
The Sun (2006)
His upper body remains still while his legs pedal with almost hypnotic beauty.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
High above them he saw a thin streak of a condensation trail in the upper atmosphere.
Len Deighton Bomber
It had tables and seats downstairs and an enormous upper deck.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
This will help to strengthen your arms and upper back.
The Sun (2016)
Its tentacles stretch far into the upper echelons of government.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Use your diaphragm and stomach muscles while keeping your upper chest relaxed.
Martlew, Gillian & Silver, Shelley Stay Well This Winter (1989)
This is wrapped around the upper part of the arm above the elbow.
Shreeve, Dr Caroline M Lower Your Blood Pressure in 4 Easy Stages (1989)
In December she was given a course of injections in both her upper and lower jaw.
The Sun (2010)
Pictures showed smears of blood, a body outside the building and smouldering wreckage on an upper floor.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Look at the upper and lower surfaces of the object in the first picture (far left).
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In other languages
upper
British English: upper /ˈʌpə/ ADJECTIVE
You use upper to describe something that is above something else.
...a smart restaurant on the upper floor.
American English: upper
Arabic: فَوْقِيّ
Brazilian Portuguese: superior
Chinese: 上面的
Croatian: gornji
Czech: horní
Danish: øvre
Dutch: bovenste
European Spanish: superior arriba
Finnish: ylempi
French: supérieur
German: oberer
Greek: ψηλότερος
Italian: superiore
Japanese: 上の
Korean: 상부의
Norwegian: øvre
Polish: wyższy
European Portuguese: superior
Romanian: superior
Russian: верхний
Latin American Spanish: superior cosa que está más alta
Swedish: övre
Thai: สูงกว่า
Turkish: üst
Ukrainian: верхній
Vietnamese: cao hơn
All related terms of 'upper'
upper air
the atmosphere above the lower portion of the troposphere
upper arm
the part of the arm between the shoulder and the elbow
upper jaw
the maxilla or upper part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth. In higher vertebrates the upper jaw is fused to the cranium and the lower jaw ( mandible )
upper lip
Your upper lip is the part of your face between your mouth and your nose.
fixer-upper
a house in poor repair but suitable for restoration , that is for sale at a bargain price
upper back
→ the upper back
upper body
→ the upper body
upper bound
a number that is greater than or equal to any number in a set
upper case
Upper case letters are capital letters.
upper class
The upper class or the upper classes are the group of people in a society who own the most property and have the highest social status , and who may not need to work for money .
upper crust
The upper crust are the upper classes .
upper deck
the top floor of a double-decker vehicle
Upper Egypt
one of the four main traditional administrative districts of Egypt : extends south from Cairo to Sudan
upper floor
An upper floor in a hotel is on a level above the first floor.
upper hand
the position of advantage or control
upper house
In Britain , the Upper House is the → House of Lords .
Upper Karoo
→ the Upper Karoo
upper limit
A limit of a particular kind is the largest or smallest amount of something such as time or money that is allowed because of a rule, law, or decision .
upper ranks
→ the upper ranks
Upper Rhine
→ the Upper Rhine
upper sixth
(in England, Wales and Northern Ireland ) the final year of sixth form
upper tier
A tier is a row or layer of something that has other layers above or below it.
Upper Volta
→ Burkina Faso
pepper-upper
something, as a food, beverage , or pill , that provides a quick but temporary period of energy and alertness
Upper Austria
a state of N Austria : first divided from Lower Austria in 1251. Capital: Linz . Pop: 1 387 086 (2003 est). Area: 11 978 sq km (4625 sq miles)
Upper Canada
(1791–1841) the official name of the region of Canada lying southwest of the Ottawa River and north of the lower Great Lakes
upper chamber
→ another name for an upper house
Upper Chinook
a Chinookan language of the Columbia River valley from the Deschutes River to the estuary
upper circle
the seats in a theatre that are situated above the dress circle
upper classes
the class occupying the highest position in the social hierarchy , esp the wealthy or the aristocracy
upper mordent
a melodic ornament consisting of the rapid single or double alternation of a principal note with a note one degree higher
upper regions
→ the upper regions
upper school
the senior pupils in a secondary school, usually those in the fourth and fifth years and above
Upper Silesia
a region of SW Poland , formerly ruled by Germany : coal mining and other heavy industry
warmer-upper
something that provides one with invigorating warmth
Upper Peninsula
a peninsula in the northern US between Lakes Superior and Michigan , constituting the N part of the state of Michigan
upper sideband
the frequency band above the carrier frequency, within which fall the spectral components produced by modulation of a carrier wave
Upper Tunguska
any of three rivers in Russia, in central Siberia , all tributaries of the Yenisey: the Lower (Nizhnyaya) Tunguska 2690 km (1670 miles) long; the Stony (Podkamennaya) Tunguska 1550 km (960 miles) long; the Upper (Verkhnyaya) Tunguska which is the lower course of the Angara . The area was the scene in 1908 of a massive explosion believed to have been the result of the disintegration in the atmosphere of a small comet or meteorite
the upper arm
the part of the arm between the shoulder and the elbow
the upper back
the part of the back between the shoulders
the upper body
the part of the body above the waist
the upper hand
If you have the upper hand in a situation , you have more power than the other people involved and can make decisions about what happens .
upper atmosphere
that part of the atmosphere above the troposphere
upper management
the most senior staff of an organization or business, including the heads of various divisions or departments led by the chief executive
Upper Palaeolithic
the latest of the three periods of the Palaeolithic , beginning about 40 000 bc and ending , in Europe, about 12 000 bc : characterized by the emergence of modern man, Homo sapiens
Upper Palatinate
a native or inhabitant of the Palatinate
stiff upper lip
→ lip (sense 9 )
the Upper Karoo
one of the two divisions of the Karoo
the upper ranks
the higher divisions of the armed forces
the upper regions
the sky ; heavens
Chinese translation of 'upper'
upper
(ˈʌpəʳ)
adj
[floor, deck, shelf]上层(層)的 (shàngcéng de)
[lip]上面的 (shàngmian de)
[part]较(較)高的 (jiàogāo de)
[arm, back, body]上部的 (shàngbù de)
n(c)
[of shoe]鞋帮 (xiébāng)
the upper sixth (Brit, Scol) 中学(學)七年级(級)(英国(國)中学(學)教育的最后(後)一年，在此期间(間)，学(學)生参(參)加大学(學)升学(學)资(資)格的考试(試)) (zhōngxué qī niánjí (Yīngguó zhōngxué jiàoyù de zuìhòu yī nián, zài cǐ qījiān, xuéshengcānjiā dàxué shēngxué zīgé de kǎoshì))
All related terms of 'upper'
upper class
▶ the upper class(es) 上流社会(會) shàngliú shèhuì
the upper sixth
( Brit : Scol ) 中学(學)七年级(級)(英国(國)中学(學)教育的最后(後)一年，在此期间(間)，学(學)生参(參)加大学(學)升学(學)资(資)格的考试(試)) zhōngxué qī niánjí (Yīngguó zhōngxué jiàoyù de zuìhòu yī nián, zài cǐ qījiān, xuésheng cānjiā dàxué shēngxué zīgé de kǎoshì)
lower/upper case
小/大写(寫) xiǎo/dàxiě
upper/lower second
中上/中下 zhōngshàng/zhōngxià
the Upper/Lower Chamber
( Pol ) 上/下议(議)院 shàng/xiàyìyuàn
the upper/lower sixth
( Brit : Scol ) 高级/初级六年级，英国中学教育的最后两年，在此期间学生准备A-level考试，以取得大学入学资格
to keep a stiff upper lip
( Brit ) 感情不外露 gǎnqíng bù wàilù
the upper class(es)
上流社会(會) shàngliú shèhuì
1 (adjective)
Definition
higher or highest in physical position, wealth, rank, or status
There is a smart restaurant on the upper floor.
Synonyms
topmost
the topmost branches of a gigantic oak tree
top
He was the top student in physics.
Opposites
lower
,
bottom
2 (adjective)
Definition
higher or highest in physical position, wealth, rank, or status
the muscles of the upper back and chest
Synonyms
higher
high
Every one of them is controlled by the families of high officials.
Opposites
low
,
lower
3 (adjective)
Definition
higher or highest in physical position, wealth, rank, or status
the upper echelons of the Army
Synonyms
superior
She was greatly superior in education.
senior
Television and radio needed many more women in senior jobs.
higher-level
greater
top
I need to have the top people in this company work together.
important
chief
most important
elevated
My new job has given me a certain elevated status.
eminent
an eminent public figure
higher-ranking
Opposites
low
,
lower
,
junior
,
inferior
Additional synonyms
in the sense of elevated
My new job has given me a certain elevated status.
Synonyms
exalted,
high,
important,
august,
grand,
superior,
noble,
dignified,
high-ranking,
lofty
in the sense of eminent
Definition
well-known and well-respected
an eminent public figure
Synonyms
prominent,
high,
great,
important,
noted,
respected,
grand,
famous,
celebrated,
outstanding,
distinguished,
well-known,
superior,
esteemed,
notable,
renowned,
prestigious,
elevated,
paramount,
big-time (informal),
foremost,
high-ranking,
conspicuous,
illustrious,
major league (informal),
exalted,
noteworthy,
pre-eminent
in the sense of high
Definition
towards the top of a scale of importance or quality
Every one of them is controlled by the families of high officials.
Synonyms
important,
leading,
ruling,
chief,
powerful,
significant,
distinguished,
prominent,
superior,
influential,
notable,
big-time (informal),
eminent,
major league (informal),
exalted,
consequential,
skookum (Canadian)
Synonyms of 'upper'
upper
Explore 'upper' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of senior
Definition
higher in rank or length of service
Television and radio needed many more women in senior jobs.
Synonyms
higher ranking,
superior
in the sense of top
Definition
at, of, or being the top
He was the top student in physics.
Synonyms
leading,
best,
first,
highest,
greatest,
lead,
head,
prime,
finest,
crowning,
crack (informal),
elite,
superior,
dominant,
foremost,
pre-eminent
in the sense of top
Definition
at, of, or being the top
I need to have the top people in this company work together.