up to

preposition

1

—used as a function word to indicate extension as far as a specified place

sank up to his knees in the mud

2

—used as a function word to indicate a limit or boundary

up to 50,000 copies a month

worked up to the last minute

Examples of up to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Within a few months on the floor, she was named barber of the year, and eventually worked her way up to the art director’s department. —Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 2 Mar. 2025

In one city, Reynosa, the national guard had to scale back its vehicle inspections after local officials and business owners complained of traffic backups of up to six hours. —Mary Beth Sheridan The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 2 Mar. 2025

All women must be from 18 and no more than 25 years of age with the men up to 28 years of age. —Anthony Demarco, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025

Grace chalked it up to the date: her period was nearing. —Cassidy Randall, Rolling Stone, 2 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for up to

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou

Kids Definition

up to

preposition

1

: as far as a named part or place

sank up to my hips

2

: in accordance with

the game was not up to our standards

3

a

: to the limit of

come in sizes up to 10

b

: as many or as much as

carry up to 10 tons

4

: until entry 1, till

from dawn up to dusk