up to

1 of 2

preposition

1

—used as a function word to indicate extension as far as a specified place

sank up to his knees in the mud

2

—used as a function word to indicate a limit or boundary

up to 50,000 copies a month

worked up to the last minute

up to

2 of 2

phrase

1

: capable of performing or dealing with

feels up to the task

2

: engaged in

what is he up to

3

: being the responsibility of

it's up to me

Examples of up to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Preposition

Set the scene Banana plantations, fields of maize and roadside villages line the road up to Kibale Lodge, which sits at 1,430 metres overlooking hills, lakes and terraces in the Great Lakes region. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 July 2026

The headliner specs on it are an 8,000-mAh battery, 45-W fast-charging, a MediaTek Dimensity 7025 CPU, 12 GB of RAM, 512 GB of internal storage, and microSD expansion up to 2 TB. — Joe Salas july 26, New Atlas, 27 July 2026

Nvidia raced to secure more memory from SK Hynix in a deal that could be up to $500 billion, which could serve as a catalyst for the stock that has fallen heavily in the last month. — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 27 July 2026

According to Saudi Aramco, the oil refinery in Jizan is designed to process up to 400,000 barrels per day. — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 27 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for up to

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou

Kids Definition

up to

preposition

1

: as far as a named part or place

sank up to my hips

2

: in accordance with

the game was not up to our standards

3

a

: to the limit of

come in sizes up to 10

b

: as many or as much as

carry up to 10 tons

4

: until entry 1, till

from dawn up to dusk