NOTCH (UP) Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

notch (up)

verb

Definition of notch (up)

as in to achieve

to obtain (as a goal) through effort a stunning performance that notched up a second Academy Award for the actor

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for notch (up)

Verb

As of 2025, only Uruguay had achieved that number, according to data from the World Health Organization.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Nov. 2026
The founders masterfully achieved E pluribus unum--one nation out of many states.

— Dana Kelley, Arkansas Online, 13 Nov. 2026

Definition of achieve

Verb

After more than a week of counting outstanding, absentee ballots and affidavit — or provisional — ballots, Colom won the closest Senate race in the country by just a few thousand votes.

— Elena Moore, NPR, 12 Nov. 2026
The winning illustration in this reader poll will be available on a mug at The New York Times Store later this year.

— New York Times, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of win

Verb

As my generation of veterans—millennials born between 1981 and 1996—attain positions of power, we are presented with the same responsibility to lead during tumultuous times that our forebears faced.

— Brandon J Archuleta, Oc Register, 11 Nov. 2026
The next highest ranking of commendable, which is a typical or average performance, was attained by about 30% of state schools.

— Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 9 Nov. 2026

Definition of attain

Verb

And, of course, thanks to social media, this content can gain an instant and wide audience.

— Steve Mollman, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2026
Without trying, her style and sound has only continued to garner mass appeal, gaining another life through our social algorithms and places like Pinterest.

— Bianca Betancourt, CNN Money, 13 Nov. 2026

Definition of gain

Verb

Sincerity, stability, domesticity—those are harder sells for fans expecting quotable and clippable baddie anthems, which might make SWALLOW!

— Walden Green, Pitchfork, 11 Nov. 2026
Braun made two 3-pointers and Minnesota held Southern to 18% shooting in taking a 16-6 lead after one quarter.

— CBS News, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of make

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notching (up)

notch (up)

note

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“Notch (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/notch%20%28up%29. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of notch (up)

verb

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