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

City and country converge at this Oklahoma City carriage house, which can sleep up to four guests. — Kelsey Mulvey, Vogue, 3 Aug. 2026

The moon's shadow will sweep across Greenland, Iceland, the Atlantic, Spain, and Portugal, offering up to 2 minutes 18 seconds of totality. — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Store the cake, covered, in the refrigerator for up to four days. — Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026

Flood kindly took on all the engineering duties, which freed me up to be in the band room with Eno. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 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