| 释义 |
upˈgrade, v.
Also up-grade.
[f. up- 4: cf. the n.]
1. trans. To increase the grade or status of (a job); to raise (an employee) to a higher grade or rank. Also fig.
1920[implied at upgrading vbl. n.]. 1928Daily Express 5 Mar. 3/5 His job..has become so important that the post is being ‘up-graded’. 1942Tee Emm (Air Ministry) II. 130 In future they are going to be upgraded [from angels] to archangels. 1955[see down-grade v.]. 1976National Observer (U.S.) 20 Nov. 14/2 The commission agreed to upgrade controllers at 32 facilities, but fewer controllers would be promoted than the union demands. 1985Contact (Pre-School Playgroups Assoc.) Feb. 23/1 Teachers who underestimate the richness of children's homes decide to upgrade the children's language skills.
2. a. To raise (something, esp. equipment or facilities) from one grade to another; to improve or enhance physically.
1935[implied at upgraded ppl. a.]. 1955M. Reifer Dict. New Words 217/2 Upgrade, to improve the grade of a product. 1959Globe & Mail (Toronto) 17 July 13/3 If Canada were to maintain and extend its capabilities in this field, it was necessary that its effective weapons be continuously upgraded. 1964G. L. Cohen What's Wrong with Hospitals? vii. 143 These old places are really quite comfortable, you know; they've been up-graded out of all recognition. 1971Daily Tel. 13 Sept. 10/6 The money..would be spent on financing sewerage schemes and up⁓grading existing effluent treatment facilities. 1976A. Hope Hi-fi Handbk. 14 If you wish to up-grade a music centre, you can only throw it out and replace it with a better one. 1979‘J. le Carré’ Smiley's People xvii. 211 He booked a first-class seat and said he would upgrade his economy ticket on arrival at the airport.
b. More generally, to raise to a higher level; to improve.
1959G. D. Mitchell Sociol. 120 Generally it was found that women were more likely than men to up-grade them⁓selves. 1962M. McLuhan Gutenberg Galaxy 43 For until men have up-graded the visual component communities know only a tribal structure. 1977New Yorker 24 Oct. 79/2 They have upgraded their criminal expertise by watching such programs as..‘Kojak’. 1983Times 29 Oct. 16/4 A lunch in the City..led to one broker upgrading his forecast for the year.
c. absol. or intr. (for refl.).
1950Sun (Baltimore) 2 Oct. 9/1 Movers say that the bulk of families moving are ‘upgrading’. By that they mean that they are occupying new apartments renting for much more than they have been paying. 1967Boston Sunday Globe 23 Apr. b41/5 The head of a family..wants to upgrade—and usually does. 1970J. Earl Tuners & Amplifiers iii. 60 This may differ slightly if we already possess some items of equipment and merely wish..to upgrade by changing a particular item..for an equivalent of improved quality.
Hence upˈgraded ppl. a.; upˈgrading vbl. n.
1920Glasgow Herald 19 Aug. 8/3 The government proposals for..the upgrading of the unskilled labourers..were rejected by the operatives. 1935Times 1 Oct. 4/4 The rates on the upgraded stretch and the 1 in 22½ Dashwood Hill were 15 and 50 and 30 and 44 m.p.h. 1938Encycl. Brit. Bk. of Year 214/1 The Burnham Committee..dealt with the up-grading and down-grading of Elementary Schools for the assessment of Head Teachers' salaries. 1959Times Lit. Suppl. 9 Oct. 579/1 The danger of ‘escalation’—the upgrading of the size of the weapons in reply to the apparent use by the enemy of bigger types. 1976P. R. White Planning for Public Transport viii. 186 A preliminary study suggests that investment in an upgraded rail link may provide net benefits as high as for a parallel road scheme. |