upside

1 of 2

noun

up·​side ˈəp-ˌsīd 

1

: an upward trend (as of prices)

2

a

: a positive aspect

One upside to the house is its great location.

b

: promise, potential

a young star with lots of upside

upside

2 of 2

preposition

up·​side ˈəp-ˈsīd 

: up on or against the side of

… layin' in this death cell, writin' my time upside the wall …

—Lonnie Johnson

smacked him upside the head

Examples of upside in a Sentence

Noun

One upside to the new house is its location.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The upside of scaling faster is not worth the reputational risk. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 July 2026

The average upside on it is 76%, and 70% of analysts covering it rate the stock a buy — despite its weak performance of late. — Assiatou Hann, CNBC, 7 July 2026

Preposition

Would the occasional smack upside the head improve the situation? — David Roberts, Vox, 3 July 2018

But Ingalls, who joined the Lips after first starting with that band as a behind the scenes tech for, can also knock listeners upside the head. — AL.com, 4 Feb. 2018

Word History

Etymology

Noun

up entry 2 + side entry 1

Preposition

perhaps from up entry 1 + -side (as in alongside)

First Known Use

Noun

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

1897, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing upside

• on the upside
• turn (something) upside down
• upside down
• upside-down cake
• upside the head

Rhymes for upside

• abide
• allied
• applied
• aside
• astride
• azide
• backside
• bankside
• bastide
• bayside
• bedside
• belied