upright

adjective

up·right | \ ˈəp-ˌrīt

Definition of upright

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : perpendicular, vertical

b : erect in carriage or posture

c : having the main axis or a main part perpendicular upright freezer

2 : marked by strong moral rectitude an upright citizen

upright

adverb

Definition of upright (Entry 2 of 3)

: vertically upward : in an upright position

upright

noun

Definition of upright (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : the state of being upright : perpendicular a pillar out of upright

2 : something that stands upright especially : a football goalpost —usually used in plural

3 : upright piano

Other Words from upright Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about upright

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Choose the Right Synonym for upright

Adjective

upright, honest, just, conscientious, scrupulous, honorable mean having or showing a strict regard for what is morally right. upright implies a strict adherence to moral principles. a stern and upright minister honest stresses adherence to such virtues as truthfulness, candor, or fairness. known for being honest in business dealings just stresses conscious choice and regular practice of what is right or equitable. workers given just compensation conscientious and scrupulous imply an active moral sense governing all one's actions and painstaking efforts to follow one's conscience. conscientious in the completion of her assignments scrupulous in carrying out the terms of the will honorable suggests a firm holding to codes of right behavior and the guidance of a high sense of honor and duty. a difficult but honorable decision

Adjective

upright, honest, and just mean having or showing a great concern for what is right. upright means having high moral standards in all areas of life. She's an upright person and an example to us all. honest means dealing with others in a fair and truthful way. He is an honest merchant who wouldn't cheat anyone. just is used when a person's fairness comes from both conscious choice and habit. The principal is just to all students.

Examples of upright in a Sentence

Adjective

Put your seat back in the upright position. The container should be kept upright to prevent leaks.

Noun

The uprights of the structure were embedded in concrete.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The city’s network of bike lanes and pathways keep him safe, and the trike’s three wheels keep him upright. — Laura Berrios, ajc, "Silver Spokes program gets more seniors into cycling," 31 May 2018 One of the key traits that separates hominins from apes is bipedalism, or walking upright on two legs, freeing the arms to throw spears, pick berries or carry children. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Ancient Toddler Was at Home on the Ground and in the Trees," 5 July 2018 And don’t worry: There will be food on hand to help keep you upright. — Adam Lukach, RedEye Chicago, "5 things to do this weekend in Chicago," 15 Feb. 2018 Soccer, as a sport, has no interest in being morally upright, or even fair. — Alejandro Chacoff, The Atlantic, "Soccer Has No Interest in Fairness," 12 July 2018 The body styling has some compact cuteness that wraps around an upright format as tidy and functional as an American Tourister roller bag — ready to travel with a hard shell that feels secure and refined. — Mark Maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2018 Kia Niro PHEV: The future of plug-and-play," 13 July 2018 At the back are upright supports to hold the logs in place. — Jack Stewart, WIRED, "Sweden's Electric Robo-Truck Is Made for Life in the Forest," 12 July 2018 Unlike the highly upright deliveries of Max Scherzer or Justin Verlander, Winkler’s delivery was a violent contorting motion that put his front foot far in front of his body. — Gabriel Baumgaertner, SI.com, "With Violent Elbow Injuries Behind Him, Braves Reliever Dan Winkler Is Pitching Like an All-Star," 4 July 2018 The foot bones of a toddler who died 3 million years ago show that baby pre-humans could both walk upright like modern humans and scamper up trees like apes, researchers said Wednesday. — NBC News, "Baby feet: Toddler bones show pre-human kids scampered up trees," 4 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

Finally—finally—the Colts decided to truly invest in an offensive line that can keep Andrew Luck upright. — Tim Rohan, SI.com, "AFC South Offseason Report Cards: Jaguars Get Stronger, Titans Get Defensive, Texans Need Health and Colts Need Luck," 12 June 2018 The toe bones in children are curved while adults are not, meaning kids could walk upright but also gripped either trees or their mothers, researchers found. — Lilly Price, USA TODAY, "Ape-like toddlers climbed trees 3.3 million years ago, fossil suggests," 5 July 2018 Line the steamer insert with a layer of husks, then arrange tamales upright in the steamer, open sides up. — Amanda Garrity, Woman's Day, "Strawberry Tamales," 11 June 2018 Sometimes Mars sits bolt upright, with no seasons to mention. — The Economist, "Empty sky, empty Earth?," 5 July 2018 The ride is butter-smooth over pavement, and though there's some extra body roll in the corners, the Lexus LX 570 doesn't feel sloppy; its suspension gets it back upright slowly rather than explosively. — Brian Wong, USA TODAY, "Review: Lexus LX 570 is cool for old-school SUVs," 11 May 2018 The most common form, cervical dystonia, affects the neck, causing wobbling or worse, the inability to hold the head upright. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, "The radio man without a voice," 15 June 2018 Human hands felled and peeled Douglas fir logs, pounded them upright into the stream bed, and wove a lattice of willow sticks through the posts. — Ben Goldfarb, Science | AAAS, "Beaver dams without beavers? Artificial logjams are a popular but controversial restoration tool," 7 June 2018 The design allows users to walk upright inside the walker, rather than holding the aid out in front. — Sarah Hauer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "This isn't your grandma's walker. New Berlin's Motivo making a better walker with new financing.," 5 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Bayer eventually was able to sit upright, and was given water at the police station. — Jared Gilmour, miamiherald, "Boy found ‘slobbering at the mouth’ in 94-degree car. Mom’s boyfriend forgot him, Ohio cops say," 30 May 2018 Manuel Pucciarelli also hit the upright as Chievo had several opportunities to take the lead in the first half. — Daniella Matar, chicagotribune.com, "Serie A Recap: Napoli beat Juventus, narrow league lead to one point," 22 Apr. 2018 Opt for a lightweight upright as your solo machine, or buy a second, less expensive model for upstairs cleaning. — Amy Roberts, Good Housekeeping, "Shop Smart: The Best Vacuum Cleaner for Your Home," 13 June 2014 Tossing it through the uprights, over the crossbar scores one point and kicking it into the net is worth three. — Susan Demar Lafferty, Daily Southtown, "'Five times faster than soccer': Irish football draws fans of Old World sport to Oak Forest," 9 July 2018 Put the kick through the uprights, get a point and the receiving team starts at its 25. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: What's there to say about Cincinnati Reds? Also, an idea for fixing the NFL kickoff," 23 Apr. 2018 Kicking is kicking—the goal is to get the hips pointed at the uprights. — Michael Farber, SI.com, "Mark Moseley, Last of the Straight-On Kickers," 2 July 2018 Unlike other facials, this one was performed upright and didn't involve anything — meaning, not a single product was used — but below-freezing air. — Rebecca Norris, Allure, "I Got a Cryotherapy Facial and It Literally Froze My Face Off — Well, Not Literally," 25 June 2018 As in the first half, Peru made the better start to the second and midfielder Pedro Aquino arrowed a long-distance rocket onto Lloris's upright. — Peter Stebbings, chicagotribune.com, "France eliminate Peru from World Cup, advance to Round of 16," 21 June 2018

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