upgrade

1 of 2

noun

up·​grade ˈəp-ˌgrād 

1

: an upward grade or slope

2

: increase, rise

3

: improvement sense 2b

upgrade

2 of 2

verb

up·​grade ˈəp-ˌgrād  ˌəp-ˈgrād 

upgraded; upgrading; upgrades

transitive verb

: to raise or improve the grade of: such as

a

: to improve (livestock) by use of purebred sires

b

: to advance to a job requiring a higher level of skill especially as part of a training program

c

: to raise the quality of

d

: to raise the classification and usually the price of without improving the quality

e

: to extend the usefulness of (something, such as a device)

f

: to assign a less serious status to

upgraded the patient's condition to good

intransitive verb

: to replace something (such as software or an electronic device) with a more useful version or alternative

Upgrading to a new operating system can make people anxious, even under the best of circumstances.

—Macworld

upgradability noun

or upgradeability

ˌəp-ˌgrā-də-ˈbi-lə-tē 

upgradable adjective

or upgradeable

ˌəp-ˈgrā-də-bəl 

Synonyms

Noun

• acclivity
• ascent
• hill
• rise
• uphill
• uprise

Verb

• advance
• elevate
• promote
• raise

Examples of upgrade in a Sentence

Noun

a slight upgrade in the roadway

The hotel offered us a room upgrade.

Verb

This course will help you to upgrade your computer skills.

They've upgraded the quality of their service.

The city is upgrading the sewage treatment plant.

The office is upgrading the telephone system.

They upgraded the hotel to attract more business patrons.

We were able to upgrade to first class.

We had reserved a double room, but the hotel upgraded us to a suite.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

If your cutlery needs an upgrade, this self-sharpening 14-piece knife set from Henckels is 70 percent off. —Ali Faccenda, Peoplemag, 26 June 2024

The guest bathroom, while cozy, needed a finish upgrade. —Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 26 June 2024

Verb

Police said officers were dispatched to the 1100 block of Wilmont Court at around 5 a.m. on June 15 for the report of a physical disturbance, which was later upgraded to a shooting. —Cincinnati Enquirer, The Enquirer, 27 June 2024

This pardon will remove a huge obstacle for thousands of veterans to get their military discharge upgraded with the Department of Defense, but that’s still a long and difficult process. —Quil Lawrence, NPR, 26 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1873, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1901, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

upgrade

1 of 2 noun

up·​grade ˈəp-ˌgrād 

1

: an upward grade or slope

2

: rise entry 2 sense 4

crime has been on the upgrade

upgrade

2 of 2 verb

up·​grade ˈəp-ˌgrād  ˌəp-ˈgrād 

1

: to raise to a higher grade or position

2

: to improve or replace especially software or a device for increased usefulness

upgradability noun

or upgradeability

ˌəp-ˌgrād-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

upgradable adjective

or upgradeable

ˌəp-ˈgrād-ə-bəl 

Medical Definition

upgrade

transitive verb

up·​grade ˈəp-ˌgrād, ˌəp-ˈ 

upgraded; upgrading

1

: to assign a less serious status to

upgraded the patient's condition from fair to good

2

: to reclassify (as a cancer, concussion, or bone fracture) to a more serious grade when the grades are numbered from least to most serious