upstairs

1 of 3

adverb

up·​stairs ˌəp-ˈsterz 

1

: up the stairs : on or to a higher floor

2

: to or at a high altitude or higher position

kicked upstairs to company management

3

: 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

Examples of upstairs in a Sentence

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

The setup includes Mindy’s own wing with a primary bedroom, bathroom, closets and connected office, while Kayla and her husband have their own area upstairs. —Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026

Dinner commences in a cool and calm underground lounge before moving upstairs to another intimate locale. —Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026

Adjective

Unfortunately, their upstairs neighbors are about to arrive for dinner, and everything that can go wrong goes worse. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026

The equestrian side of the ranch includes a show barn with an upstairs apartment, an eight-stall mare motel, multiple turnout pens and an insulated indoor arena designed for year-round training and events. —Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Jan. 2026

Noun

The screaming was coming from upstairs, where Deanna Vaughn lived with her father, Richard. —Veronica Ortega, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026

An upstairs-downstairs work of historical fiction with a premise farcical enough to fuel an Oscar Wilde play seems like a solid first step toward the genre. —Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1782, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1842, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing upstairs

• kick upstairs
• man upstairs
• the man upstairs
• the upstairs

Rhymes for upstairs

• affaires
• affairs
• armchairs
• bulgars
• compares
• crosshairs
• declares
• despairs
• downstairs
• forbears
• forebears
• housewares

Kids Definition

upstairs

1 of 3 adverb

up·​stairs ˈəp-ˈsta(ə)rz 

-ˈste(ə)rz

1

: up the stairs : to or on a higher floor

2

: to or at a higher position or level

upstairs

2 of 3 adjective

up·​stairs ˈəp-ˈsta(ə)rz 

-ˈste(ə)rz

: located on an upper floor

the upstairs bedroom

upstairs

3 of 3 noun

up·​stairs ˈəp-ˈsta(ə)rz  -ˈste(ə)rz 

ˈəp-ˌsta(ə)rz, 

-ˌste(ə)rz

: the part of a building above the ground floor