Definition of upright
1a : perpendicular, verticalb : erect in carriage or posturec : having the main axis or a main part perpendicular upright freezer
2 : marked by strong moral rectitude an upright citizen
uprightly
adverbuprightness
nounIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
Examples of upright in a Sentence
Put your seat back in the upright position.
The container should be kept upright to prevent leaks.
Recent Examples of upright from the Web
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The whole fish at The Grocery arrives upright on the plate, with crisp skin and moist, rich meat.
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In early summer — as in right now — the tips of most branches produce large upright cones of bloom that last through much of the summer.
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Fans deserve to experience the chills as he is introduced as a pinch-hitter late in the game in his home park, enters the box with that iconic frozen upright-bat pose of his and then, if the baseball gods are smiling, slices a single to right field.
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Clear and Present Danger (July 1) Harrison Ford is noble American political-military hero Jack Ryan in this suitably upright adaptation of Tom Clancy's novel, about the U.S.'s secret war against South American drug cartels.
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Clear and Present Danger (July 1) Harrison Ford is noble American political-military hero Jack Ryan in this suitably upright adaptation of Tom Clancy's novel, about the U.S.'s secret war against South American drug cartels.
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Sparks from the skidding train briefly ignited garbage on the track, but there was no serious fire and the train stayed upright, said Joe Lhota, chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
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The sensible crossover-hatchback roofline, the upright driving posture, seating for five adults.
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Remarkably, much of the liquor in a Fairfield store destroyed by the twister, seemed untouched and remained upright on the shelves although the walls had been obliterated.
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.
First Known Use of upright
before 12th century
Synonym Discussion of upright
upright
Definition of upright
: vertically upward : in an upright position
First Known Use of upright
12th century
upright
Definition of upright
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
Examples of upright in a Sentence
The uprights of the structure were embedded in concrete.
Recent Examples of upright from the Web
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A 50-ounce dry-aged Black Angus porterhouse that is slowly grilled, upright on the bone, to a pretty pink.
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His kick hit the upright and bounced off, meaning New England trailed by 19 instead of 18.
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Most young NFL fans probably don’t know this—and the details certainly surprised this millennial reporter—but the uprights were on the goal line until 1974.
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Canisters have these tools, as do uprights like the Dyson Ball Animal 2.
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Franklin had a habit of being upright himself despite his occasional failings.
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The sun broke through the clouds and shone down on the uprights like something holy.
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Sitting upright isn’t just for evacuation safety, however.
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Family friend and GoFundMe organizer Jennifer Douglas noted that Paylor is lifted in and out of bed to spend an hour or two sitting upright.
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.
First Known Use of upright
1683
UPRIGHT Defined for English Language Learners
upright
playDefinition of upright for English Language Learners
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: positioned to be straight up
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—used to describe something that is tall rather than wide
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: always behaving in an honest way : having high moral standards
upright
Definition of upright for English Language Learners
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: a board or pole placed in a vertical position to support something
UPRIGHT Defined for Kids
Definition of upright for Students
: in or into a vertical position … careful to keep it upright, he held a wooden object above their heads. — Mary Norton, The Borrowers
Learn More about upright
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for upright Spanish Central: Translation of upright Nglish: Translation of upright for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of upright for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
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