upgrade

1 of 2

noun

up·​grade ˈəp-ˌgrād How to pronounce upgrade (audio)
1
: an upward grade or slope
2
3

upgrade

2 of 2

verb

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 noun
upgradable adjective
or upgradeable

Examples of upgrade in a Sentence

Noun a slight upgrade in the roadway The hotel offered us a room upgrade. Verb 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 on the Web
Noun
As the JPMorgan recent upgrade on Best Buy said, most investors don’t realize how awful this period has been for Best Buy. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2024 It’s sometimes offered as an optional upgrade to a standard travel insurance plan. Erica Lamberg, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024
Verb
Long gone are the years when loyal Apple fans would line up to trade in their device on a near-annual basis, and the company hasn’t given consumers a big reason to upgrade since adding 5G connectivity with the iPhone 12. Clare Duffy, CNN, 30 Sep. 2024 The restaurant believes that the only way to upgrade this perfectly classic dish is with buttered lobeter. Kaila Yu, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for upgrade 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'upgrade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1873, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1901, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of upgrade was in 1873

Dictionary Entries Near upgrade

Cite this Entry

“Upgrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upgrade. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

upgrade

1 of 2 noun
up·​grade ˈəp-ˌgrād How to pronounce upgrade (audio)
1
: an upward grade or slope
2
: rise entry 2 sense 4
crime has been on the upgrade

upgrade

2 of 2 verb
1
: to raise to a higher grade or position
2
: to improve or replace especially software or a device for increased usefulness
upgradability noun
upgradable adjective
or upgradeable

Medical Definition

upgrade

transitive verb
upgraded; upgrading
1
: to assign a less serious status to
upgraded the patient's condition from fair to good
2
: to reclassify (as a cancer, concussion, or bone fracture) to a more serious grade when the grades are numbered from least to most serious

More from Merriam-Webster on upgrade

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!