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

Once operations are fully underway, workers will bury up to 60 canisters per year. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026

Districts have up to three school years to spend each allocation, and any unspent money then reverts to the California Department of Education the following year. — Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026

In April this year, a European consortium led by Belgian telecommunications company Proximus won one of four contracts together worth up to €180 million under the Commission’s sovereign cloud procurement programme. — Margot Edelman, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Most of those companies do not accept insurance, charging up to $200 per month for custom hormone therapy in a variety of forms. — Ashley Abramson, Allure, 22 Oct. 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