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

Former cast member Maya Rudolph played the role of Vice President Kamala Harris in the lead-up to the November 2024 election. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025

The measure would create penalties of up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $100,000 for distributing pornography online. —Arpan Lobo, Freep.com, 4 Oct. 2025

That tax break was worth up to $4,000 for used EVs (and $7,500 for new EVs) — meaning the average used EV cost less than its gasoline counterpart after incentives. —Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025

The pact is reportedly worth up to $150 million, although that pricetag has shocked industry observers as undoubtedly inflated by the desire of Paramount to bring Weiss, a former opinion writer for the New York Times, into the fold. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th 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