upright

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adjective up·right \ ˈəp-ˌrīt \

Definition of upright

1 a :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

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uprightly

adverb

—

uprightness

noun

See upright defined for English-language learners

See upright defined for kids

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

Two women in patterned dresses sit at an upright piano; the artist’s handsome father is shown in his sailor’s uniform and then, in another photograph, in drag.

— gayle clemans, The Seattle Times, "Review: Frye show strikes balance between family history, social commentary," 11 Aug. 2017
Some of it is remarkably low-tech, like Zimmer’s simple upright piano.

— david lyman, Cincinnati.com, "Step 1: 'Lion King.' Step 2: Coachella. Step 3: Cincy.," 28 July 2017
A clatter of gunshots suggested the worst The Brillante was built like two rectangles joined at a right angle: one vast, flat, hollow shape that held the liquid cargo, and one smaller, upright stack that contained mechanical systems and crew spaces.

— Bloomberg.com, "The Hijacking of the Brillante Virtuoso," 27 July 2017
Guests must have the ability to maintain the proper upright position and riding posture during the entire ride operation.

— william thornton, AL.com, "Blue Bell resurrects another ice cream flavor," 27 July 2017
The whole fish at The Grocery arrives upright on the plate, with crisp skin and moist, rich meat.

— kathleen purvis, charlotteobserver, "13 must-eat places for your Charleston trip, plus more to check out," 19 July 2017
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.

— paul cappiello, The Courier-Journal, "Queen of the summer. Why your garden needs an oakleaf hydrangea," 14 July 2017
Sendin said people who don't want to invest in a variable desk can use an ironing board as a desktop since it can be moved up and down to allow the worker to go from a seated to upright position and can be put away after work is done.

— debbie carlson, chicagotribune.com, "3 ways to make it easier to work from home," 5 July 2017
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.

— greg cote, miamiherald, "Baseball should include Ichiro in Miami’s All-Star celebration," 5 July 2017

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

upright Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of upright

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

upright

adverb

Definition of upright

:vertically upward :in an upright position

Recent Examples of upright from the Web

As one of two player representatives from UW at Pac-12 media days last week in Hollywood, Browning sat upright at a stage and spoke with confidence.

— adam jude, The Seattle Times, "Washington quarterback Jake Browning begins to take leadership role more seriously," 31 July 2017
The camera lingers on the lifeless form for a full minute — at which point the corpse sits upright, still shrouded, and shuffles through the hospital.

— robert w. butler, kansascity, "‘A Ghost Story’ isn’t scary, but it is emotionally haunting," 26 July 2017
With all seats upright, the 170.9-inch-long hatchback boasts a competitive 25 cubic feet of luggage space; folding the 60/40-split rear seatbacks expands that figure to 55 cubes.

— greg fink, Car and Driver, "2018 Hyundai Elantra GT Sport," 21 July 2017
According to the airline, the passengers refused to comply with requests to put their seats upright, fasten their seatbelts, or stop charging their mobile phones in preparation for takeoff.

— Fox News, "Alaska Airlines kicks out 11 passengers for being 'disruptive,' making 'inappropriate comments'," 29 June 2017
The harness caught him and pulled him back upright.

— audrey dutton, idahostatesman, "Workers lost their lives: The dark side of Idaho’s residential construction boom," 19 May 2017
The slow lane was closed while a tow truck tried to get the vehicles upright.

— pauline repard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Cement truck overturns on north I-805 at Balboa Ave.," 16 May 2017
Written over 40 years, the stories in this collection often conclude with an abrupt crack, as if the author had awoken from a dream and sat bolt upright in her velvet armchair.

— joy press, latimes.com, "Leonora Carrington, the surrealist storytelling genius you've never heard of," 5 May 2017
The car landed upright on its wheels, and the tree ended up in the yard of a home on the block.

— hannah leone, Aurora Beacon-News, "Yorkville police sued over teenager's death in crash during pursuit," 27 Apr. 2017

First Known Use of upright

12th century

upright

noun

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

See upright defined for English-language learners

Examples of upright in a Sentence

The uprights of the structure were embedded in concrete.

Recent Examples of upright from the Web

The Jaguars took the lead on Dallas Davis' 4-yard touchdown pass to Gerald Everett, then watched as Mississippi State's Westin Graves clanked a field goal attempt off the uprights as time expired.

— creg stephenson, AL.com, "South Alabama looking to repeat upset formula in season-opener at Ole Miss," 29 Aug. 2017
Richardson split the uprights from 55 yards at a recent practice.

— pat disabato, Daily Southtown, "Countdown to football: Nick Marozas, Brother Rice ranked No. 4 in preseason," 21 Aug. 2017
Wil Lutz consistently nailed field goals through the Arena League-sized uprights showing off his crisp accuracy.

— NOLA.com, "5-plus observations from Friday's Saints-Chargers joint practice," 18 Aug. 2017
A 50-ounce dry-aged Black Angus porterhouse that is slowly grilled, upright on the bone, to a pretty pink.

— Los Angeles Magazine, "This is The Best Gigantic Steak to Drop Large Dollars on in LA," 15 Aug. 2017
A 50-ounce dry-aged Black Angus porterhouse that is slowly grilled, upright on the bone, to a pretty pink.

— Los Angeles Magazine, "This is The Best Gigantic Steak to Drop Large Dollars on in LA," 15 Aug. 2017
Rough start for Tucker: After converting a 59-yard field goal Thursday, kicker Justin Tucker opened practice by banging a 55-yarder off the right upright and then sending a 58-yarder wide right during a full-team exercise.

— edward lee, baltimoresun.com, "Ravens camp highlights (Aug. 12): Quincy Adeboyejo continues to stack solid practices," 12 Aug. 2017
Purslane is that ground-hugging succulent weed that will restart itself if a branch is broken or is left upright on your soil after being pulled.

— margaret lauterbach, idahostatesman, "Tired of dealing with weeds? Eat them," 9 Aug. 2017
Both kickers finished their nights with 55-yard field goals with room to spare behind the uprights.

— jourdan rodrigue and joseph person, charlotteobserver, "Fan Fest: Cam Newton’s arm a no-show, others (quick-)step up to add excitement factor," 4 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of upright

1683

UPRIGHT Defined for English Language Learners

upright

play

adjective

Definition of upright for English Language Learners

: positioned to be straight up
—used to describe something that is tall rather than wide
: always behaving in an honest way : having high moral standards

upright

noun

Definition of upright for English Language Learners

: a board or pole placed in a vertical position to support something

UPRIGHT Defined for Kids

upright

play

adjective up·right \ ˈəp-ˌrīt \

Definition of upright for Students

1 :¹vertical

an upright post

2 :straight in posture

3 :having or showing high moral standards

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uprightly

adverb

Synonym Discussion of upright

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.

upright

adverb

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

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

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upright

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upright

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