upgrade

noun up·grade \ ˈəp-ˌgrād \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Examples: upgrade in a Sentence

Definition of upgrade

1 : an upward grade or slope

2 : increase, rise

3 : improvement 2b

See upgrade defined for English-language learners

See upgrade defined for kids

Examples of upgrade in a Sentence

a slight upgrade in the roadway
The hotel offered us a room upgrade.

Recent Examples of upgrade from the Web

As part of the collaborative, Tiberino got access to studio space owned by PEC at 40th and Lancaster (an upgrade from her kitchen table).

— julia terruso, Philly.com, "Ellen Tiberino, of art-family royalty, fighting to keep a legacy alive in gentrifying Powelton Village," 12 July 2018
Those personnel upgrades, combined with Nagy’s innovative scheme and quarterback-centric approach, should at least equip Trubisky to ascend, even while the team fights through inevitable growing pains with so many new parts.

— rich campbell, chicagotribune.com, "Mitch Trubisky's ability to command Matt Nagy's offense will define the Bears' season," 11 July 2018
Daytona was a vast upgrade, and its 500 became Nascar’s biggest race.

— dave caldwell, New York Times, "The Forgotten Figure Behind Daytona International Speedway," 7 July 2018
Three years after revelations of the Dieselgate emissions cheating scandal, the VW brand desperately needs an image upgrade, particularly in its home market of Germany, where the scandal has cut deep into national pride and consumer goodwill.

— dan neil, WSJ, "Volkswagen’s All-Electric Effort to Climb Out of Its P.R. Hole," 4 July 2018
The factory was shut down at least twice for extensive upgrades, a new production line was hastily erected in a tent in the parking lot, and Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk moved from sleeping on the couch to sleeping under the desk.

— Fortune, "Tesla's Mad Scramble to Meet Production Deadline Is Coming to an End," 30 June 2018
This weekend, though, the sonic situation at the peer gets a cool upgrade, courtesy of Chi-Soul Fest, the Chicago soul music festival that celebrates the city’s illustrious history of black music.

— adam lukach, RedEye Chicago, "5 things to do this weekend in Chicago," 28 June 2018
Dodge Park was closed for months for the upgrades, which now stand at $9.5 million, according to city Finance Director Jennifer Varney.

— christina hall, Detroit Free Press, "New splash pad a cool hit in Sterling Heights as heat wave rolls in," 28 June 2018
The business models that rely on a small percentage of customers spending money on add-ons, upgrades, and subscriptions to sustain the freeloaders.

— ian bogost, The Atlantic, "Why Is There a ‘Gaming Disorder’ But No ‘Smartphone Disorder?’," 28 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'upgrade.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of upgrade

1873

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

upgrade Synonyms

upgrade

verb up·grade \ ˈəp-ˌgrād , ˌəp-ˈgrād \

Definition of upgrade

upgraded; upgrading; upgrades

transitive verb

: to raise or improve the grade of: such as

a : to improve (livestock) by use of purebred sires

b : to advance to a job requiring a higher level of skill especially as part of a training program

c : to raise the quality of

d : to raise the classification and usually the price of without improving the quality

e : to extend the usefulness of (something, such as a device)

f : to assign a less serious status to

upgraded the patient's condition to good

intransitive verb

: to replace something (such as software or an electronic device) with a more useful version or alternative

Upgrading to a new operating system can make people anxious, even under the best of circumstances.
—Macworld

—

upgradability

or upgradeability play \ˌəp-ˌgrā-də-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

—

upgradable

or upgradeable play \ˌəp-ˈgrā-də-bəl\ adjective

See upgrade defined for English-language learners

Examples of upgrade in a Sentence

This course will help you to upgrade your computer skills.
They've upgraded the quality of their service.
The city is upgrading the sewage treatment plant.
The office is upgrading the telephone system.
They upgraded the hotel to attract more business patrons.
We were able to upgrade to first class.
We had reserved a double room, but the hotel upgraded us to a suite.

Recent Examples of upgrade from the Web

The demolition, which is expected to cost $20,000 to $30,000, will happen after the town leases the property to Eversource for six months at a cost of $1,750 a month while the utility works on upgrading its grid.

— steven goode, Courant Community, "Riley Lumber Property Purchase In Sight," 14 July 2018
Satellite photos have shown that North Korea has been expanding a key missile manufacturing plant and upgrading its nuclear infrastructure at Yongbyon.

— michael r. gordon, WSJ, "Trump Cites Kim Letter as Sign of Progress With North Korea," 12 July 2018
That seems perfect for someone who is tasked with upgrading a computer assistant.

— james vincent, The Verge, "Apple’s new AI chief might actually be the right person to fix Siri," 11 July 2018
And the next acquisition — center Zaza Pachulia — represents an experience upgrade over holdover center Eric Moreland, who was waived Sunday.

— vince ellis, Detroit Free Press, "Dwane Casey puts stamp on Detroit Pistons 2018 free-agent class," 10 July 2018
Radio ownership consolidation had surged after the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and WHJY, WSNE and WHJJ upgraded to their slicker new headquarters, joining oldies station, and fourth cluster mate, WWBB.

— Billboard, "Eerie Waves: Memories of an Abandoned Radio Home, From Dido to Whitesnake's David Coverdale (& the Incredible Hulk)," 6 July 2018
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video WATCH Dictionary.com's Liz McMillan Discusses Tech's Influence on Language Share Tweet Email More...

— nathan mattise, Ars Technica, "By defining “l33t” and “Thanks Obama,” Dictionary.com became the Web’s reference," 1 July 2018
Some processors already were working to upgrade their plants, Hall said.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Audit finds 70 percent of British Columbia fish-processing plants do not comply with environmental regulations," 8 July 2018
The air conditioning was the first piece of the puzzle to upgrading and renovating the gym that serves as a practice facility for Valparaiso’s basketball and women’s volleyball programs.

— michael osipoff, Post-Tribune, "Matt Lottich says upgrades to Hilltop Gym give Valparaiso a 'Division I quality' practice facility," 4 July 2018

First Known Use of upgrade

1901

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

upgrade Synonyms

Synonyms

advance, elevate, promote, raise;

Antonyms

abase, degrade, demote, downgrade, lower, reduce;

Near Antonyms

depose, dethrone, dismiss, expel, impeach, oust, overthrow, remove, unmake, unseat;

demean, disgrace, dishonor, humble, humiliate, mortify, shame, take down;

censure, condemn, denounce;

Related Words

forward, further;

aggrandize, boost, heighten, improve, lift, uplift;

commission, ennoble, knight;

acclaim, applaud, celebrate, cite, commend, compliment, congratulate, decorate;

eulogize, exalt, extol (also extoll), glorify, hail, honor, laud, praise, salute;

Phrases

kick upstairs;

UPGRADE Defined for English Language Learners

upgrade

noun

Definition of upgrade for English Language Learners

: an area or surface that goes upward : an upward slope
: an occurrence in which one thing is replaced by something better, newer, more valuable, etc.

upgrade

verb

Definition of upgrade for English Language Learners

: to make (something) better by including the most recent information or improvements
: to choose to have or use something more modern, useful, etc.
: to get something (such as a seat on an airplane or a room in a hotel) that is better than what you had originally