upshift
verb
up·shift
ˈəp-ˌshift 
upshifted; upshifting; upshifts
: to shift an automotive vehicle into a higher gear
upshift
noun
Examples of upshift in a Sentence
She upshifted into fifth gear.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Movie features Brad Pitt as a fallen Formula One star who upshifts back from career oblivion and personal wreckage to the pinnacle of racing.
—
Chris Lee, Vulture, 27 June 2025
Suddenly, a Rosemount team that appeared to be in cruise control had to upshift gears again.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 5 June 2024
Sport mode brings an even more aggressive algorithm and a flat-out refusal to upshift into the tallest gears even when cruising.
—Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 7 Aug. 2023
There was room to go faster, but the car refused to upshift into third gear and the engine was hitting its rev limiter well short of its 7000-rpm redline.
—Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 16 June 2023
But, as has been the case far too often, the GOP doesn’t exactly have a matrix in hand for when their leader should stand down or when to upshift.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 17 Jan. 2023
There is little point in trying to reach the rev limiter, and in Drive the automatic gearbox always chooses to upshift well before the marked redline at 6000 rpm.
—Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 5 Apr. 2022
The sequential gearbox will upshift with the accelerator floored, and the shift lights on the dash encourage the full use of the available rev range.
—Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 1 June 2022
There's numbness in the steering, but the gearbox is clever enough to downshift under braking and upshift at redline.
—Tony Quiroga, Car and Driver, 7 Feb. 2022
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Chris Lee, Vulture, 27 June 2025
Suddenly, a Rosemount team that appeared to be in cruise control had to upshift gears again.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 5 June 2024
Sport mode brings an even more aggressive algorithm and a flat-out refusal to upshift into the tallest gears even when cruising.
—Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 7 Aug. 2023
There was room to go faster, but the car refused to upshift into third gear and the engine was hitting its rev limiter well short of its 7000-rpm redline.
—Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 16 June 2023
But, as has been the case far too often, the GOP doesn’t exactly have a matrix in hand for when their leader should stand down or when to upshift.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 17 Jan. 2023
There is little point in trying to reach the rev limiter, and in Drive the automatic gearbox always chooses to upshift well before the marked redline at 6000 rpm.
—Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 5 Apr. 2022
The sequential gearbox will upshift with the accelerator floored, and the shift lights on the dash encourage the full use of the available rev range.
—Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 1 June 2022
There's numbness in the steering, but the gearbox is clever enough to downshift under braking and upshift at redline.
—Tony Quiroga, Car and Driver, 7 Feb. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Upshift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upshift. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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