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

Borderlands 4 recently moved its release date up to September 12, 2025. —Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025

Sitting presidents typically report earnings from the prior year, while candidates provide figures up to the date of their filing. —Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 18 June 2025

Only Moonbug has really lived up to expectations, Mayer told Semafor in an interview at Cannes Lions this week. —Max Tani, semafor.com, 18 June 2025

The rocket Honda talked about in 2021 could put a payload of up to 1 metric ton into low-Earth orbit. —ArsTechnica, 18 June 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