upstairs

1 of 3

adverb

up·stairs ˌəp-ˈsterz

: up the stairs : on or to a higher floor

: to or at a high altitude or higher position

kicked upstairs to company management

: in the head : intellectually

a little slow upstairs—

Tom Clancy

upstairs

2 of 3

adjective

up·stairs ˈəp-ˈsterz

: situated above the stairs especially on an upper floor

an upstairs bedroom

upstairs

3 of 3

noun

up·stairs ˈəp-ˈsterz

ˈəp-ˌsterz

plural in form but singular or plural in construction

: the part of a building above the ground floor

Example Sentences

Adverb When you go upstairs, bring these towels with you. She was on her way upstairs when she heard a car drive up. Adjective You can use the upstairs bathroom.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Guests can opt for a Western-style bedroom on the ground floor or one of the traditional tatami rooms with futon beds upstairs. —

Caitie Kelly Chris Schalkx Jinnie Lee Kyle Beechey Cathy Erway Caitie Kelly, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2023 Now the team behind the Michelin one-star restaurant is amping things up with the debut of Bar Bastion upstairs. —

Tori Latham, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2023 On a recent weekday morning at 7 a.m. while Reese slept upstairs and Jordan showed a visitor around, Gottlieb already had game film loaded up on her laptop set up in the kitchen. —

Thuc Nhi Nguyen Staff Writer Follow, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2023 Wander from room to room upstairs and down, each furnished with unique décor. —

Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2023 Detectives then determined DeRoos and his wife Michelle had been living upstairs at the time of Curran's death. —

Wilson Ring, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Feb. 2023 Those with stairs in their home or the elderly may require something lightweight that’s easy to carry upstairs or around the house. —

Lacey Muinos, Health, 17 Feb. 2023 While there, check out the concert schedule at the Skydeck upstairs. —

Margaret Littman, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Feb. 2023 This home also has a large game room and a media room with a walk-up bar upstairs. —

Dallas News, 9 Feb. 2023

Adjective

Think of Bar Bastion as the sultry little sister to Le Jardinier, with the two spots acting as the perfect upstairs-downstairs combo. —

Tori Latham, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2023 Madison, Wisconsin Courtesy image This 2019 five-bedroom home on Lake Mendota has a spiral metal slide connecting the three upstairs bedroom suites to the first floor. —

The Week Staff, The Week, 26 Feb. 2023 The master bedroom and main living areas are on the ground floor of the two-story abode, while upstairs guests can enter and exit from a separate exterior stair at the back. —

Elizabeth Fazzare, ELLE Decor, 24 Feb. 2023 Dan and Marilyn Quayle added a heated pool, and the Cheneys upgraded an upstairs galley kitchen. —

Jura Koncius, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2023 Four bedrooms, four bathrooms, an exercise room and sauna, a game room with a refreshment area, and an attic with extra storage space are upstairs. —

Dallas News, 21 Jan. 2023 Back at the Carrier home, a young boy who peered out of an upstairs window was injured by a shot that shattered the glass pane, taking out one of his eyes. —

Craig Pittman, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Jan. 2023 All of this was designed to allow the agent playing his wife to venture to an upstairs window and get eyes on Cazes' house and driveway next door, in anticipation of the action set to unfold there. —

Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2022 A few moments later, as if on cue, the officer observed an upstairs window open followed by the woman climbing onto the roof. —

John Benson, cleveland, 11 Oct. 2022

Noun

An expansive primary suite takes up the entire upstairs, decked out with its own office, a spa-like bathroom, and a massive walk-in closet. —

Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2023 Off The Record, an upscale cocktail bar, will move in upstairs. —

Tirion Morris, The Arizona Republic, 30 Sep. 2021 My idea was to do a kind of upstairs/downstairs treatment — a photo from the ground complemented by one of the very same cloud from space. —

Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 12 Dec. 2013 The 50 upstairs beds are in individual rooms while the new first-floor shelter is more like a dorm, with each of the 20 single beds separated by a small wooden wardrobe. —

San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2023 An umami-rich aroma steaming from Swift's Attic is guaranteed to lure your group off the bustling Congress Ave and into the restaurant upstairs. —

Alexandra Toto, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2023 This discovery came after a witness saw Murdaugh carrying a blue tarp upstairs. —

Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 25 Jan. 2023 Qehaja’s behavior mimicked what event attendees upstairs allegedly were doing, as guests claimed men from the audience glared down from the second-floor balcony at restaurant-goers, seeming to warn them not to disrupt their event. —

Prem Thakker, The New Republic, 20 Jan. 2023 Over the years, the upstairs at Graceland has taken on a mythical aura, with rumors that his suite remains untouched, just as the King left it. —

Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 13 Jan. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'upstairs.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.