upˈ-and-downˈ adjective

1. (see also up and down below) undulating
2. Going or working both, or alternately, up and down
3. Downright (US)

noun (golf; informal)

An act of completing a hole from a position off the green by using one lofted shot and one putt

upˈ-and-oˈver adjective

(of a door, etc) raised to a horizontal position when opened (also upˈ-oˈver)

upˈ-and-unˈderˈ noun (rugby)

A movement in which the ball is kicked high and forward, and the players rush to try to catch it

upˈ-beat noun

1. An unaccented beat, at which the conductor raises his baton
2. An optimistic note or mood
3. A promising development

adjective (informal; upˈbeat)

1. Cheerful
2. Optimistic

upˈbow noun (music)

A movement of the bow from point towards nut over the strings

upˈ-current or upˈ-draught noun

A rising current of air

upfront see up front below.

upˈland noun

1. Inland, hilly or high-lying country
2. Upper or high land, as opposed to meadows, river-sides, etc (N American)

adjective

1. High-lying
2. Remote
3. Inland
4. Rural
5. Of the uplands

upland cotton noun

A variety of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) orig grown in America

upˈlander noun

uplandˈish adjective (obsolete)

1. Rustic
2. Rural
3. Outlandish

upˈ-line noun

A railway line for upgoing trains (ie those going to, not from, eg a city)

upper atmosphere noun

The region of the atmosphere above about 20 miles from the earth

uppˈer-brackˈet adjective

In an upper grouping in a list, etc

uppˈer-case adjective (printing)

Literally, kept in an upper case, capital as opposed to small (of letters)

upper chamber same as upper house below.

upper class or upper classes noun

The people of the highest social rank

uppˈer-classˈ adjective

upper crust noun

1. The top of a loaf
2. The aristocracy, or the upper class or classes in any society
3. The head (slang)
4. A hat (slang)

uppˈer-crustˈ adjective

Upper-class, aristocratic

uppˈercut noun

An upward short-arm blow

upper hand noun

Mastery, advantage

upper house noun

In a bicameral legislature, the house that is the more restricted in membership, eg House of Lords, Senate of USA and other countries

upper regions plural noun

1. Heaven
2. The heavens, the sky

Upper Roger noun

Corruption of Hindi Yuva-rājā, young prince

upper school noun

The senior pupils in a secondary school

upper storey or (esp in N American) upper story noun

1. Any storey above the first floor
2. The brain (slang)

upper ten (thousand) noun

The richest or most influential class

uppˈerworks plural noun

1. The upper part of a structure (of a ship above the load-line)
2. The head (slang)

uppˈing-block, uppˈing-stock or uppˈing-stone noun

A mounting block

upˈside noun

1. The upper side
2. A positive or favourable aspect

adverb

On the upper side

upside down or upˈside-downˈ adverb (earlier up so down; Spenser upˈsideowneˈ)

1. With the upper part undermost
2. In, or into, complete confusion

adjective

Turned upside down

upside-down cake noun

A sponge cake baked with fruit at the bottom and turned upside down before it is served

upˈsides adverb

1. On a par (with with)
2. Beside

upˈ-train noun

A railway train proceeding towards the chief terminus

upward mobility noun

The (desired) state of the upwardly mobile, those people moving (or attempting to move) to a higher social rank or position of greater status

be up in

To have a knowledge of

have had it up to here (informal)

To have had as much as one can take, to be fed up (usu with a gesture towards the throat)

it is all up (with)

There is no hope (for)

not up (tennis)

Called when the ball bounces twice before the player manages to hit it

on one's uppers

1. With soles worn off one's shoes
2. Very short of money

on the up (cricket)

(of a stroke) played as the ball rises from its bounce

on the up and up

1. In a state of continuous progress towards ever greater success
2. Honest, on the level

something is up

Something is amiss, something unusual or unexpected is happening or has happened

up against

Face to face with, confronted with

up against it

In almost desperate straits

up and doing

Bestirring oneself

up and down

1. To and fro
2. Here and there through or about
3. Throughout
4. Vertically
5. Out-and-out

up and running

Fully functional

up at

Attending, studying at (a university)

up close and personal

Intimate or intimately

up for

1. Available for or undergoing (some process)
2. Willing to take part in (informal)
3. Standing as a candidate for

up front

1. At the front
2. To the forefront
3. Foremost
4. (of money) paid in advance
5. Candidly, openly (up-frontˈ or upfrontˈ adjective)

up oneself (slang)

Smugly pleased with oneself

ups and downs

1. Undulations
2. Vicissitudes

up sticks (informal)

To move one's home, business, etc, decamp

up to

1. As far up as
2. Into the immediate neighbourhood or presence of
3. Immersed or embedded as far as
4. About, meditating or engaged in doing (informal)
5. Capable of and ready for (informal)
6. Incumbent upon

up to date

1. To the present time or time in question
2. Containing all recent facts, statistics, etc
3. Knowing the latest developments of fashion, usage, etc (upˈ-to-dateˈ adjective)

up top (informal)

In the head, in respect of intelligence

up to speed

1. Having reached the required speed
2. Fully informed of the latest developments (informal)
3. On the alert, ready for action (informal)

up to the minute or moment

Right up to the present time (up-to-the-minˈute or up-to-the-moˈment adjective very up-to-date)

up town

1. Into town
2. In or to the residential part of a town (N American)

up with

1. Abreast of
2. Even with
3. To take off or swallow
4. Put, get, etc up (see under up), often as an exclamation of approbation and partisanship

up yours (vulgar sl)

An expression of strong refusal, defiance, contempt, etc

what's up? (with you?, etc)

What's the matter, what's wrong (with you, etc)?

down¹ /down/

adverb

1. (passing into adj in predicative use) to a lower position, level or state
2. Away from a centre (capital, city, university, etc)
3. Southwards
4. To leeward
5. In a low or lowered position or state
6. Below
7. On or to the ground
8. Downstairs
9. Under the surface
10. From earlier to later times
11. To a further stage in a series
12. From greater to less (in size, grain, activity, intensity, etc)
13. To a standstill, exhaustion or conclusion
14. To a final state of defeat, subjection, silence, etc
15. In a fallen state
16. In adversity
17. At a disadvantage
18. Ill
19. Behindhand
20. In writing or record, in black and white
21. In flood
22. On the spot, immediately in cash
23. In readiness to pounce
24. In a state of alert awareness and understanding
25. In watchful opposition or hostility (with on, upon)
26. Broken, not operational (computing)

—Also used elliptically, passing into an interjection or verb by omission of go, come or put, etc, often followed by with

adjective

1. Going, reaching, directed towards or having a lower position or level
2. Depressed
3. Low
4. Broken, not operational (computing)

preposition

1. In a descent along, through or by
2. To or in a lower position on or in
3. Along in the direction of the current
4. Along

noun

1. A descent
2. A low place
3. A reverse of fortune, a time of comparative bad luck
4. An act of throwing or putting down
5. A tendency to treat one harshly
6. A feeling of dislike
7. One of four consecutive periods of play, during which a team must score or advance the ball 10 yards in order to retain possession (American football)

transitive verb

1. To knock, throw, shoot or put down
2. To put down, overthrow
3. To depress
4. To swallow

interjection

1. Ordering (esp a dog) to go or stay down
2. (with with) expressing a wish for the downfall of someone or something

downˈer noun (slang)

1. A depressant drug
2. A state of depression
3. Any depressing experience, etc
4. A downward trend
5. A feeling of prejudice or dislike, antipathy

downˈward /-wərd/ or downˈwards /-wərdz/ adverb

1. From higher to lower
2. From source to outlet
3. From more ancient to modern
4. In the lower part

downˈward adjective

downˈwardly adverb

downˈwardness noun

1. A sinking tendency
2. A state of being low

downˈ-and-dirtˈy adjective (US informal)

1. Basic
2. Brutal

downˈ-and-outˈ adjective

1. At the end of one's resources
2. Destitute and rejected by, or rejecting, society

downˈ-and-outˈ noun

downˈ-and-outˈer noun

downˈ-at-heelˈ adjective

1. Having the back of the shoe trodden down
2. Generally shabby

downˈbeat noun

1. A downward movement of the conductor's baton
2. An accented beat

adjective (informal)

1. Relaxed, unworried
2. Unemphatic
3. Depressed
4. Gloomy
5. Depressing

downˈbow noun (music)

A movement of the bow over the strings beginning at the nut end

downˈburst same as microburst

downˈcast adjective

1. Dejected
2. Looking down

noun

1. A current of air into a mine
2. A shaft carrying it (downˈcast-shaftˈ)
3. A downward throw
4. A downthrow

downˈ-come noun

1. A fall, ruin
2. A heavy pour of rain

downˈ-draught noun

A current of air downwards

downˈ-eastˈer noun (US)

Someone living down east from the speaker, a New Englander, and esp an inhabitant of Maine

downˈfall noun

1. Fall, failure, humiliation, ruin
2. A heavy fall of rain

downˈfallen adjective

Ruined

downˈflow noun

1. A running or flowing down
2. Something that runs or flows down

downˈforce noun

Aerodynamically-caused downward force in a car, etc which eg improves its road holding

downˈ-going adjective

down-goˈing (or /downˈ/) noun

downˈgrade noun

A downward slope or course

adjective and adverb

Downhill

transitive verb

1. To reduce in status, etc
2. To belittle, underrate

downˈ-gyved adjective (Shakespeare)

Hanging down like fetters

downˈhaul noun

A rope by which a jib, etc is hauled down when set

downheartˈed adjective

Dejected

downˈhill adjective

Descending, sloping (also noun)

downhillˈ adverb

downˈhole adjective

1. Of the drills, measuring instruments, and equipment used down a borehole (mining)
2. Applied to equipment that is used within the well (oil)

downˈ-home adjective (US informal)

1. Characteristic of the Southern states of the USA
2. Characteristic of the country or country-dwellers
3. Homemade
4. Friendly

downˈlighter noun

A downward-directed light-fitting, attached to or recessed in the ceiling

downˈ-line noun

The line of a railway leading from the capital, or other important centre, to the provinces

downˈlink noun

A connection in a telecommunications system between a space vehicle or satellite and the earth (also transitive verb)

downloadˈ transitive verb and intransitive verb (computing)

1. To transfer (data or programs, esp on the Internet) from another computer to one's own
2. To broadcast programmes of material for specialist groups (eg doctors) outside normal broadcasting hours (often to be recorded on videotape for viewing later)

noun /downˈ/

1. An act or the process of downloading
2. Something downloaded

downloadˈable adjective

downˈlooked adjective (Dryden)

Downcast, gloomy

downˈ-lyˈing noun (dialect)

1. Time of retiring to rest
2. A woman's confinement during childbirth

downmarˈket adjective

Of (buying, selling or using) goods and services of relatively low price, quality or prestige (also adverb)

downˈmost adverb and adjective

Superlative of down

down payment noun

A deposit on an article, service, etc

downˈpipe noun

A drainpipe that takes rainwater from the gutter of a roof

downˈplay transitive verb

To play down

downˈpour noun

A heavy fall of rain, etc

downˈright adverb

1. In plain terms
2. Utterly

adjective

1. Plain-spoken
2. Brusque
3. Utter, out-and-out (as in downright madness)
4. Thorough
5. Perpendicular (obsolete)

downˈrightness noun

downrivˈer adverb

With the current

adjective

Further down the river

downˈrush noun

A rushing down (as of gas, hot air, etc)

downˈscale transitive verb and intransitive verb (US)

To reduce in scale

adjective

Downmarket

downˈ-settˈing noun

A setting down, a snub

downˈshift intransitive verb

1. To select a lower gear in a vehicle
2. To choose a less affluent lifestyle in order to enhance one's life in non-material ways, esp in having more leisure time

downˈshifter noun

downˈshifting noun

downˈside noun

1. The adverse or disadvantageous aspect of a situation (also adjective)
2. (the risk of) a drop in share prices (finance)

downˈ-sittˈing noun

1. Sitting down, time of rest (Psalm 139.2)
2. A sitting, session (Scot)
3. A settlement, establishment (esp by marriage; Scot)

downˈsize transitive verb

1. To reduce in size (esp a workforce by redundancy)
2. To design or make a smaller model of (a car, etc)

intransitive verb

To sell one's home and move to a smaller property

downˈsizer noun

downˈsizing noun

downˈspout noun (N American)

A downpipe, drainpipe

downˈstageˈ adverb

Towards the footlights (also adjective)

downˈstair or downˈstairs adjective

downstairsˈ adverb

1. In or towards a lower storey
2. Belowstairs, in the servants' quarters

noun

A lower storey, usu the ground floor

downˈstateˈ adjective and adverb (US)

In or to a southerly or rural part of a state

noun

A downstate area

downstream' adverb

With the current

adjective /down'/

1. Further down the stream
2. Going with the current
3. In the hydrocarbons industry, denoting any stage subsequent to oil production, eg refining, the production of oil derivatives, etc (sometimes with of)
4. In any process or activity, denoting a subsequent stage

downˈstroke noun

A downward line made by the pen in writing

downˈswing noun

1. A downward trend in volume of trade, etc
2. The part of the swing where the club is moving down towards the ball (golf)

downˈ-the-line adjective

1. (of a ballet-dancer) inconspicuously placed, unimportant
2. Thorough, unwavering (US)

downˈthrow noun

1. An act of throwing down, or state of being thrown down
2. The amount of vertical displacement of the relatively lowered strata at a fault (geology)

downˈtime noun

A period when work is halted, due to equipment failure, lack of materials, bad weather, etc

downˈ-to-earthˈ adjective

1. Sensible
2. Practical
3. Realistic
4. Plain-speaking

downˈtownˈ adjective and adverb

In or towards the lower part or (esp N American) the business and shopping centre of the town

noun

This part of a town

downˈ-train noun

A railway train that leaves from the chief terminus

downˈtrend noun

A downward trend

downˈ-trod or downˈtrodden adjective

1. Trampled on
2. Tyrannized over

downˈturn noun

A downward trend, decline

downˈturned adjective

Folded or turned down

downˈwash noun

The downward current of air disturbed by an aerofoil

downˈwindˈ adjective and adverb

1. In the direction in which the wind is blowing
2. In or to a position (relative to someone or something) in this direction (often with of)

down east (US)

In or into Maine and adjoining parts of New England

down in the mouth

In low spirits

down on one's luck

In unfortunate circumstances

down south (US)

In the Southern states

down to (slang)

The fault or responsibility of

down tools

To stop work, strike

down to the ground (informal)

Completely

down town

In or towards the centre of a town

down under

In or to Australia and New Zealand

down with

1. Put down (imperative)
2. Swallow (imperative)
3. An interjection expressing a wish to depose, get rid of or abolish
4. In tune with, in sympathy with (informal)

go down

1. (often with with) to be received (well or badly) (by)
2. (often with with) to be acceptable (to)
3. (with with) to contract (an illness)

go downhill

To deteriorate (in health, prosperity or morality)

go downstream

To begin operating the downstream stages of oil exploitation

up and down

1. Alternately well and ill
2. To and fro