: an honest or respectable course
used in the phrase on the up-and-up

Examples of up-and-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
At one point, one of Quinn’s goons discovers that Reacher isn’t on the up-and-up so Reacher kills him and is forced to come back later and dispose of the body. Erik Kain, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025 Why does Israel need to be told to allow food to starving people if this war is being fought on the up-and-up? Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of up-and-up was in 1863

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Cite this Entry

“Up-and-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/up-and-up. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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