Up vs On - What's the difference?
up | on |
Away from the centre of the Earth or other planet; in opposite direction to the downward pull of gravity.
(intensifier) (Used as an aspect marker to indicate a completed action or state) Thoroughly, completely.
To or from one's possession or consideration.
North.
To a higher level of some quantity or notional quantity, such as price, volume, pitch, happiness, etc.
(rail transport) Traditional term for the direction leading to the principal terminus, towards milepost zero.
(sailing) Against the wind or current.
(Cartesian graph) In a positive vertical direction.
(cricket) Relatively close to the batsman.
(hospitality) Without additional ice.
(UK, academia) Towards Cambridge or Oxford.
* 1867 , John Timbs, Lives of wits and humourists , p. 125
* 1998 , Rita McWilliams Tullberg, Women at Cambridge , p. 112
* 2002 , Peter Harman, Cambridge Scientific Minds , p. 79
To or in a position of equal advance or equality; not short of, back of, less advanced than, away from, etc.; usually followed by to'' or ''with .
To or in a state of completion; completely; wholly; quite.
Aside, so as not to be in use.
Toward the top of.
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4
, passage=Judge Short had gone to town, and Farrar was off for a three days' cruise up the lake. I was bitterly regretting I had not gone with him when the distant notes of a coach horn reached my ear, and I descried a four-in-hand winding its way up the inn road from the direction of Mohair.}}
Toward the center, source, or main point of reference; toward the end at which something is attached.
Further along (in any direction).
From south to north of
* 2012 October 31, David M. Halbfinger, "[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/nyregion/new-jersey-continues-to-cope-with-hurricane-sandy.html?hp]," New York Times (retrieved 31 October 2012):
Awake.
Finished, to an end
In a good mood.
Willing; ready.
Next in a sequence.
Happening; new.
Facing upwards; facing toward the top.
Larger, greater in quantity.
Standing.
On a higher level.
* 1925 , Walter Anthony and Tom Reed (titles), , silent movie
Available; made public.
Well-informed; current.
(computing) Functional; working.
(of a railway line or train) Traveling towards a major terminus.
Headed, or designated to go, upward, as an escalator, stairway, elevator etc.
(bar tending) Chilled and strained into a stemmed glass.
(slang) Erect.
(of the Sun or Moon) Above the horizon, in the sky (i.e. during daytime or night-time)
* 1898 , , (Moonfleet) Chapter 4
(slang, graffiti) well-known; renowned
* 1996 , Matthew Busby Hunt, The Sociolinguistics of Tagging and Chicano Gang Graffiti (page 71)
* 2009 , Gregory J. Snyder, Graffiti Lives: Beyond the Tag in New York's Urban Underground (pages 16-40)
* 2011 , Adam Melnyk, Visual Orgasm: The Early Years of Canadian Graffiti
(uncountable) The direction opposed to the pull of gravity.
(countable) A positive thing.
An upstairs room of a two story house.
(colloquial) To increase or raise.
*
* {{quote-news
, year=2011
, date=December 10
, author=Marc Higginson
, title=Bolton 1 - 2 Aston Villa
, work=BBC Sport
(colloquial) To promote.
*
*
*
To act suddenly, usually with another verb.
* 1991 , (Michael Jackson),
In the state of being active, functioning or operating.
Performing according to schedule.
(UK, informal) Acceptable, appropriate.
(informal) Destined, normally in the context of a challenge being accepted; involved, doomed.
(baseball, informal) Having reached a base as a runner and being positioned there, awaiting further action from a subsequent batter.
To an operating state.
Along, forwards (continuing an action).
* {{quote-news
, year=2012
, date=May 5
, author=Phil McNulty
, title=Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool
, work=BBC Sport
, url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17878435
, page=
, passage=He met Luis Suarez's cross at the far post, only for Chelsea keeper Petr Cech to show brilliant reflexes to deflect his header on to the bar. Carroll turned away to lead Liverpool's insistent protests that the ball had crossed the line but referee Phil Dowd and assistant referee Andrew Garratt waved play on , with even a succession of replays proving inconclusive.}}
In continuation, at length.
(cricket) In, or towards the half of the field on the same side as the batsman's legs; the left side for a right-handed batsman; leg.
(not US) Later.
Positioned at the upper surface of, touching from above.
* Longfellow
At or near; adjacent to.
Covering.
At the date of.
Some time during the day of.
Dealing with the subject of, about, or concerning something.
Touching; hanging from.
(informal) In the possession of.
Because of, or due to.
Immediately after.
Paid for by.
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4
, passage=Mr. Cooke at once began a tirade against the residents of Asquith for permitting a sandy and generally disgraceful condition of the roads. So roundly did he vituperate the inn management in particular, and with such a loud flow of words, that I trembled lest he should be heard on the veranda.}}
Away or occupied with (e.g. a scheduled activity).
Denoting performance or action by contact with the surface, upper part, or outside of anything; hence, by means of; with.
(senseid) Regularly taking (a drug).
(senseid) Under the influence of (a drug).
(mathematics) Having identical domain and codomain.
(mathematics) Having as domain and V'' as codomain, for some set ''V'' and integer ''n .
(mathematics) Generated by.
Supported by (the specified part of itself).
At a given time after the start of something; .
* {{quote-news, year=2011, date=September 24, author=Aled Williams, work=BBC Sport
, title=[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/14957961.stm Chelsea 4-1 Swansea]
, passage=The Spain striker had given Chelsea the lead on 29 minutes but was shown a straight red card 10 minutes later for a rash challenge on Mark Gower.}}
In addition to; besides; indicating multiplication or succession in a series.
(obsolete) of
* Shakespeare
* Shakespeare
Indicating dependence or reliance; with confidence in.
Toward; for; indicating the object of an emotion.
(obsolete) At the peril of, or for the safety of.
* Dryden
In the service of; connected with; of the number of.
By virtue of; with the pledge of.
To the account of; denoting imprecation or invocation, or coming to, falling, or resting upon.
* Bible, Matthew xxvii. 25
As a verb up
is to upturn, to turn over.As a noun on is
lamb.up
English
(part of speech is dubious for many senses) (wikipedia up)Adverb
(-)- I looked up and saw the airplane overhead.
- I will mix up the puzzle pieces.
- Tear up the contract.
- He really messed up .
- Please type up our monthly report.
- I picked up some milk on the way home.
- The committee will take up your request.
- She had to give up her driver's license after the accident.
- I will go up to New York to visit my family this weekend.
- Gold has gone up with the uncertainty in the world markets.
- Turn it up , I can barely hear it.
- Listen to your voice go up at the end of a question.
- Cheer up , the weekend's almost here.
- The bowler pitched the ball up .
- Would you like that drink up or on ice?
- She's going up to read Classics this September.
- The son of the Dean of Lichfield was only three years older than Steele, who was a lad of only twelve, when at the age of fifteen, Addison went up to Oxford.
- Others insinuated that women 'crowded up to Cambridge', not for the benefits of a higher education, but because of the proximity of 2,000 young men.
- A precocious mathematician, Babbage was already well versed in the Continental mathematical notations when he went up to Cambridge.
- I was up to my chin in water.
- A stranger came up and asked me for directions.
- Drink up . The pub is closing.
- Can you sum up your research?
- The comet burned up in the atmosphere.
- I need to sew up the hole in this shirt.
- to lay up''' riches; put '''up your weapons
Antonyms
* (away from the centre of the Earth) down * (louder) down * (higher in pitch) down * (towards the principal terminus) downDerived terms
* all it's cracked up to be * back up * backup * bottoms up * bottom-up * blow up * break up * buck up * build up * burn up * clog up * cloud up * clean up * clear up * close up * crack up * cut up * double up * dress up * dry up * eat up * finish up * gang up * gang up on * go up * kick up * knock up * lash up * let up * look up * lookup * muck up * one-up * one-upmanship * open up * polish up * run up * runner up * runup * shake up * shoot up * show up * shut up * stir up * stop up * turn up * up a tree * up to * up to it * upon * upper * uppity * upto * upward * upwards * walkup * wet up * work up * write upPreposition
(English prepositions)- Though the storm raged up the East Coast, it has become increasingly apparent that New Jersey took the brunt of it.
Antonyms
* (toward the top of) downDerived terms
* give up * pick up * put up * ring up * take up * throw up * up a creek * up someone's alleyAdjective
(-)- I can’t believe it’s 3 a.m. and you’re still up .
- Time is up !
- I’m feeling up today.
- If you are up for a trip, let’s go.
- Smith is up to bat.
- What is up with that project at headquarters?
- Put the notebook face up on the table.
- Take a break and put your feet up .
- Sales are up from last quarter.
- Get up and give her your seat.
- ‘The Phantom! The Phantom is up from the cellars again!’
- The new notices are up as of last Tuesday.
- I’m not up on the latest news. What’s going on?
- Is the server back up ?
- The London train is on the up line.
- A Cosmopolitan is typically served up .
- I have said I was still in darkness, yet it was not the blackness of the last night; and looking up into the inside of the tomb above, I could see the faintest line of light at one corner, which showed the sun was up .
- Being "up" means having numerous graffiti in the tagging landscape.
- Graffiti writers want their names seen by writers and others so that they will be famous. Therefore writers are very serious about any opportunity to “get up'.” The throw-up became one of the fundamental techniques for getting ' up , and thereby gaining recognition and fame.
- From his great rooftop pieces, selected for high visibility, to his sneaky tags and fun loving stickers, he most certainly knows how to get up .
Antonyms
* (facing upwards) down * (on a higher level) down * down * (traveling towards a major terminus) downDerived terms
* know which end is up * up and running * up for grabs * upside * upside downNoun
(en-noun)- Up is a good way to go.
- I hate almost everything about my job. The only up is that it's so close to home.
- She lives in a two-up two-down.
Usage notes
* Up is not commonly used as object of a preposition.Antonyms
* (direction opposed to the pull of gravity) downDerived terms
* ups and downsVerb
(upp)- If we up the volume, we'll be able to make out the details.
- We upped anchor and sailed away.
citation, passage=After a dreadful performance in the opening 45 minutes, they upped their game after the break and might have taken at least a point from the match.}}
- It wasn’t long before they upped him to Vice President.
- He just upped and quit.
- He upped and punched that guy.
- And she didn't leave a letter, she just upped and ran away.
Synonyms
* (increase) turn upDerived terms
* up and * up and go * up and leave * up the ante * up the gameReferences
* Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "Spatial particles of orientation", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition , Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8Statistics
*on
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) (m), from (etyl) (m), , see (m).Adjective
(-)- Are we still on for tonight?
- Is the show still on ?
- right on'''''; ''bang '''on'''''; ''not '''on
- "Five bucks says the Cavs win tonight." ?"You're on !"
- Mike just threw coffee onto Paul's lap. It's on now.
Synonyms
* base (not informal)Adverb
(-)- turn the television on
- drive on''', rock '''on
- and so on .
- He rambled on''' and '''on .
- Ten years on nothing had changed in the village.
Antonyms
* off * (to an operating state) off * (later) after, afterward/afterwards, later, subsequently, thencePreposition
(English prepositions)- I stood on the bridge at midnight.
- Soon we'll pass a statue on the left.
- The fleet is on the American coast.
- to play on a violin or piano
- Her words made a lasting impression on my mind.
- a function on V
- an operator on V
- heaps on heaps of food
- mischief on''' mischief; loss '''on loss
- (Shakespeare)
- Be not jealous on me.
- Or have we eaten on the insane root / That takes the reason prisoner?
- I depended on them for assistance.
- He will promise on certain conditions.
- Do you ever bet on horses?
- Have pity or compassion on him.
- Hence, on thy life.
- He is on''' a newspaper; I am '''on the committee.
- He affirmed or promised on''' his word, or '''on his honour.
- On us be all the blame.
- A curse on him!
- His blood be on' us and ' on our children.