uptick

noun

up·​tick ˈəp-ˌtik 

plural upticks

1

: an increase, rise, or upward trend

For the professional middle class in particular, an uptick in innovation and a return to faster economic growth would solve many problems, and likely reignite income growth.

—Don Peck

Any near-term uptick in jobs will probably be small, because there's still plenty to be milked from existing workers.

—Rana Foroohar

2

finance : a stock market transaction at a price above the last previous transaction in the same security

Hong Kong has long required that stocks can only be sold short on upticks, meaning when the last trade of a specific stock in the market was higher than the preceding trade of that stock.

—Martin Fackler and Keith Bradsher

compare downtick sense 2

Synonyms of uptick

• increase
• boost
• gain
• addition
• rise

Examples of uptick in a Sentence

an uptick in sales over the last fiscal year

Recent Examples on the Web

And according to one new business owner, the plaza has seen an uptick in activity. —Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026

New Gallup polling finds that while more employees are using AI frequently in their work, there’s been an uptick in alarm that new technologies will replace their jobs. —Matt O'Brien, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026

New Gallup polling finds that while more employees are using AI frequently in their work, there’s been an uptick in alarm that new technologies will replace their jobs. —ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026

Another resilient session for the stock market , which, at least for Monday, is unfazed by the spike in oil prices and the uptick in Treasury yields. —Jeff Marks, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

up entry 2 + tick entry 1

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for uptick

• broomstick
• dipstick
• homesick
• joystick
• lipstick
• nonstick
• pickwick
• picnic
• redbrick
• seasick
• sidekick
• slapstick

Kids Definition

uptick

noun

up·​tick ˈəp-ˌtik 

: an increase, rise, or upward trend

an uptick in cost