up to

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

Examples of up to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Twelfth Street Food Pantry in Detroit has served more households over the past few months, helping 379 households during its last distribution with up to 85 pounds of food, including fresh produce, pasta, cereal, dairy, rice and bread. —Nushrat Rahman, Freep.com, 21 Nov. 2025

Hexclad Black Friday HexClad is expected to heavily discount their signature hybrid cookware during Black Friday, with savings often reaching up to 40% off sitewide. —Hannah Hudnall, Louisville Courier Journal, 21 Nov. 2025

Right now, so many popular brands and gift-worthy products are already on sale for up to 61 percent off. —Rachel Trujillo, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025

However, local television station Arise News estimates that up to 52 students were abducted from the school. —Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 21 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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