upgrade

noun up·grade \ ˈəp-ˌgrād \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 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

Harvey, which last year set a new U.S. record for rainfall with 60.58 inches in Texas, also prompted an upgrade in interactive rain forecast maps.

— jenny staletovich, miamiherald, "Hurricane season is here, and so is a new arsenal of warnings," 30 May 2018
That requires a serious upgrade in computing power: four of those cameras can generate three terabytes of data a month.

— jack stewart, WIRED, "Forget Robo-Cars and Hit the Water on an Autonomous Boat," 28 May 2018
Cleveland High School students pursuing an education in nursing and other medical fields will enjoy upgrades in the health science lab and classroom next school year thanks to a $5,474 grant from the Cleveland ISD Education Foundation.

— vanesa brashier, Houston Chronicle, "Cleveland ISD nursing program awarded education foundation grant," 23 May 2018
Crawford’s on the disabled list right now, but his is the spot where the Phillies could most use an offensive upgrade in 2018.

— ted berg, For The Win, "7 teams that could realistically pull off a trade for Manny Machado," 23 May 2018
The Pistons invested in technological upgrades in training methods, medical rehab and other areas.

— vince ellis, Detroit Free Press, "NBA draft combine: Detroit Pistons create stir using virtual reality," 17 May 2018
The $100 million could be used to make upgrades in advance of a sale or represent a financial commitment by the state to a potential buyer.

— kenneth r. gosselin, courant.com, "Hartford Bailout Puts XL Center Funding On Ice — At Least For Now," 12 Apr. 2018
Wayfair Give your home a major upgrade with Wayfair's massive Memorial Day sale, going on until May 29.

— banu ibrahim, CNN Underscored, "Memorial Day sales to shop right now," 27 May 2018
There were no bell sleeves or bell bottoms here, though: Instead, the three-quarter-length sleeves and cropped hemline on her trousers gave the retro mood a fresh upgrade.

— maria ward, Vogue, "Cate Blanchett Does Disco Glam for Day," 25 May 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 movie upgrades this by allowing some of the characters to speak their native language.

— rebecca farley, refinery29.com, "Sense8 Series Finale Recap: Farewell, International Orgies!," 8 June 2018
Annual members of the attractions can upgrade and save even more.

— doreen christensen, Sun-Sentinel.com, "12 ideas for free and cheap summer fun | Doreen's Deals," 8 June 2018
Carolina upgraded its receiving group with D.J. Moore and Torrey Smith but never really took care of the guard position vacated by Andrew Norwell.

— jonathan jones, SI.com, "Predicting Every NFL Team’s 2018 Season Record," 7 June 2018
Western Michigan has recently upgrading many of the football facilities, not to mention a vast improvement in talent and depth on the roster.

— matt murschel, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Western Michigan faces tough schedule, is No 82 in 2018 preseason college football rankings," 6 June 2018
At Ko’s upgraded space, the bar/open kitchen counter is in the center, with plenty of room to spare for the diner, and lined with artwork by David Choe.

— kelly dobkin, Bon Appetit, "The Well-Crafted Kitchen: Inside the New Momofuku Ko Bar," 5 June 2018
Apple has also upgraded its AR technology, making the Animoji and Memoji responsive to more facial expressions, including winks and tongue movement.

— andrea park, Teen Vogue, "Apple Announces Customizable Memoji at WWDC 2018," 4 June 2018
At last year’s conference, for example, Apple upgraded nearly its entire Mac line, previewed the iMac Pro, launched new iPad Pros, and showed off the HomePod smart speaker.

— Time, "Apple's New Software Will Help You Use Your Phone Less Often," 1 June 2018
Retailers are increasingly upgrading their internet ordering, delivery and pick-up capabilities and decreasing investment in supersized stores to stay competitive with the online delivery company Amazon, the world’s third-largest retailer.

— john tuohy, Indianapolis Star, "Amazon effect? Ikea Fishers opens just before retailer slows construction, focuses online," 1 June 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