📖 U — The English dictionary · page 22

upsetting — Everyday, meaning 1: (adjective) Upsetting means making you feel sad, worried or unhappy.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (verb) Upsetting someone is making them feel sad or worried.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb) Knocking something over, or spoiling a plan.↗ Example: The news was very upsetting.↗ · If you see anything upsetting online, tell an adult.↗ · Stop upsetting your little sister.↗ · It's upsetting when a pet is ill.↗ · The cat kept upsetting the flower pot.↗ · She found the film upsetting.↗ · Finding his Master seated at the dinner table, he kicked up his heels and, with a loud bray, pranced giddily around the table, upsetting it as he did so.↗

upside — Everyday, meaning 1: "Upside down" means with the top at the bottom and the bottom at the top.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: "Upside down" also means in a big mess.↗ e.g. "The room was turned upside down."↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The upside is the good side of something that is mostly bad.↗ Example: Bats sleep upside down.↗ · You're holding the map upside down!↗ · The burglar turned the house upside down.↗ · A 6 upside down looks like a 9.↗ · The upside of rain is that the garden gets watered.↗ · Flip the pancake upside down.↗ · He turned it upside down, but nothing came out, which surprised him very much.↗ · Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.↗ (Prophets ISA.24.1, JPS 1917)↗ · And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.↗ (Prophets 2KI.21.13, JPS 1917)↗

upstairs — Everyday, meaning 1: On or to a higher floor of a building.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: As an adjective, on a higher floor.↗ e.g. "the upstairs bathroom".↗ Everyday, meaning 3: As a noun, the upper floor of a house.↗ Example: My bedroom is upstairs.↗ · Go upstairs and brush your teeth.↗ · We heard a thump upstairs.↗ · The upstairs bathroom is bigger.↗ · Carry the basket upstairs carefully, holding the rail.↗ · Our neighbours upstairs have a baby.↗ · The bus has an upstairs deck.↗ · Presently he heard steps coming upstairs.↗

upstream — Everyday, meaning 1: Upstream means towards the source of a river or stream, against the way the water flows.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An upstream place is further up the river, nearer its source.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) Swimming upstream can mean doing something hard, against what most people do or want.↗ Example: Salmon swim upstream to lay their eggs.↗ · We paddled the canoe upstream, which was hard work.↗ · The village upstream has cleaner water.↗ · Pollution upstream can harm fish downstream.↗ · A boat goes 10 km/h in still water and the river flows at 2 km/h, so upstream it goes 8 km/h.↗ · The source of the river is upstream from here.↗ · Remember, you are upstream and I am downstream."↗

upthrust — Everyday, meaning 1: (science) The upward push that a liquid or gas gives to an object placed in it; it is why things float or feel lighter in water.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (geography) A pushing upward of rock or land, for example when mountains slowly rise.↗ Example: The water gives the boat an upthrust.↗ · A ball feels lighter in the pool because of upthrust.↗ · Draw an arrow to show the upthrust on the cork.↗ · If the upthrust equals the weight, the object floats.↗ · A stone sinks because its weight is bigger than the upthrust.↗ · Air gives a small upthrust to a balloon.↗ · The mountains were formed by an upthrust of rock.↗

upturned — Everyday, meaning 1: Upturned means turned upside down: an upturned boat or bucket.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Upturned can also mean turned or pointing upwards: an upturned face or nose.↗ Example: We sat on upturned crates around the fire.↗ · An upturned boat lay on the beach.↗ · The children's upturned faces watched the fireworks.↗ · She hid her toys under an upturned basket.↗ · Turn a glass upturned into water and the air stays inside.↗ · The puppy had a little upturned nose.↗ · Glinda leaned forward and kissed the sweet, upturned face of the loving little girl.↗

upward — Everyday, meaning 1: Upward means going up, towards a higher place.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Upward also means getting bigger or higher in number, like prices or temperature going upward.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: As an adjective, an upward move or slope is one that goes up.↗ Example: The snail crawls 3 metres upward each day and slides 2 down at night.↗ · The lift moved upward 4 floors.↗ · The balloon rose upward 50 metres.↗ · The temperature went upward by 6 degrees.↗ · Smoke drifts upward from the chimney.↗ · She looked upward at the stars.↗ · The line on the graph goes upward, so sales grew.↗ · Plants grow upward towards the sun.↗ · The path climbs upward to the top of the hill.↗ · Splash! splash! the water leaped upward into spray.↗ · Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.↗ (Torah GEN.7.20, JPS 1917)↗ · Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering of the LORD.↗ (Torah EXO.30.14, JPS 1917)↗ · 'Number the children of Levi by their fathers' houses, by their families; every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.'↗ (Torah NUM.3.15, JPS 1917)↗ · But man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.↗ (Writings JOB.5.7, JPS 1917)↗ · It seemed as when men wield upwards axes in a thicket of trees.↗ (Writings PSA.74.5, JPS 1917)↗ · And the border of the Amorites was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela, and upward.↗ (Prophets JDG.1.36, JPS 1917)↗

upwind — Everyday, meaning 1: Upwind means in the direction the wind is coming from, against the wind.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: If you are upwind of something, the wind blows from you towards it.↗ Example: Stand upwind of the barbecue so the smoke does not blow in your face.↗ · The deer smelled us because we were upwind.↗ · It is harder to sail upwind than downwind.↗ · The factory is upwind of the town, so the smell reaches the houses.↗ · Keep upwind of any chemical spill.↗ · We cycled upwind and it was hard work.↗

uranium — Everyday, meaning 1: Uranium is a heavy, silvery, radioactive metal found in rocks, a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Uranium is used as fuel in nuclear power stations and in nuclear weapons.↗ Example: Uranium is found in some rocks.↗ · Nuclear power stations use uranium as fuel.↗ · Uranium is radioactive, so it must be handled with care.↗ · The symbol for uranium is U.↗ · Canada and Australia mine uranium.↗ · A small amount of uranium can make a lot of energy.↗ · Uranium was named after the planet Uranus.↗

urban — Everyday, meaning 1: To do with towns and cities, not the countryside.↗ Example: Most people in the UK live in urban areas.↗ · Foxes have learned to live in urban gardens.↗ · Urban roads are busy at rush hour.↗ · We compared urban and rural life in geography.↗ · The alligator in the sewer is just an urban myth.↗ · Urban parks give city children space to play.↗

urchin — Everyday, meaning 1: An urchin (sea urchin) is a small, round sea animal with a hard shell covered in sharp spines, which lives on the sea floor and rock pools.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: In old stories, an urchin is a poor, dirty, often cheeky child who lives on the streets.↗ Early Modern English, meaning 1: A poor or mischievous child, or in the first sentence a hedgehog.↗ Example: I saw a purple sea urchin in the rock pool.↗ · Wear water shoes so you don't step on a sea urchin.↗ · Sea otters crack open urchins to eat them.↗ · The urchin's spines are very sharp.↗ · In the old story, a street urchin stole a loaf of bread.↗ · Sea urchins move slowly on tiny tube feet.↗ · Too many urchins can eat a whole kelp forest.↗ · The cheeky urchin ran off laughing.↗ · One day two street-urchins were playing and wading in the gutter, picking up old nails, pennies, and such things.↗ · Even urchins despised me; if I arise, they speak against me.↗ (Writings JOB.19.18, JPS 1917)↗ · "In the fourth glass is neither herb, bird, nor urchin.↗ (Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen) · “They say he is a mischief-maker, a tramp, a street urchin--”↗ (The Adventures of Pinocchio) · One day two street-urchins were playing and wading in the gutter, picking up old nails, pennies, and such things.↗ (The Yellow Fairy Book)

urdu — Everyday, meaning 1: A language spoken mainly in Pakistan and India, written with an Arabic-style script from right to left.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: As an adjective, to do with that language, such as Urdu poetry.↗ Example: My friend speaks Urdu with her grandmother.↗ · Urdu is the national language of Pakistan.↗ · The sign was written in English and Urdu.↗ · Urdu is written from right to left.↗ · We learned to say hello in Urdu.↗ · Urdu poetry is famous for its love songs called ghazals.↗

urge — Everyday, meaning 1: To urge someone to do something is to try hard to persuade them, or to tell them strongly that they should.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An urge is a strong wish or need to do something, often suddenly.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To urge an animal on is to make it move faster.↗ Example: The teacher urged us to check our answers.↗ · I had a sudden urge to sing.↗ · The police urge drivers to take care on icy roads.↗ · The crowd urged the runners on to the finish.↗ · I resisted the urge to eat the last cookie.↗ · Mum urged me to wear a coat.↗ · The rider urged her horse forward.↗ · "Don't let that keep you at home," urged the Brass Pot.↗ · And he urged them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.↗ (Torah GEN.19.3, JPS 1917)↗ · Take, I pray thee, my gift that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.'↗ And he urged him, and he took it.↗ (Torah GEN.33.11, JPS 1917)↗ · The Sefer Yetzirah urges us to investigate and examine the letters, that we may have a clear insight into the subject.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗ · And the man rose up to depart; but his father-in-law urged him, and he lodged there again.↗ (Prophets JDG.19.7, JPS 1917)↗ · And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul was vexed unto death.↗ (Prophets JDG.16.16, JPS 1917)↗ · But he refused, and said: 'I will not eat.'↗ But his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he hearkened unto their voice.↗ (Prophets 1SA.28.23, JPS 1917)↗

urgency — Everyday, meaning 1: Urgency is the need to act quickly because something is important.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Urgency is also the feeling that something must be done at once.↗ Example: There was urgency in her voice.↗ · The doctor acted with urgency.↗ · We need a sense of urgency to finish on time.↗ · The fire was a matter of urgency.↗ · He spoke with urgency.↗ · The urgency of the situation was clear.↗

urgent — Everyday, meaning 1: Urgent means very important and needing to be done or dealt with straight away.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An urgent voice or look shows that someone needs something quickly.↗ Example: This is urgent; please call me back.↗ · The injured man needed urgent help.↗ · She spoke in an urgent whisper.↗ · If someone stops breathing, it is urgent, so call an ambulance.↗ · The teacher had an urgent message for the head.↗ · Fixing the leaking pipe is urgent.↗ · It isn't urgent, so it can wait until tomorrow.↗ · Mark the email «urgent».↗ · "But as your business is so urgent, I will try to carry you across.↗ · And the taskmasters were urgent, saying: 'Fulfil your work, your daily task, as when there was straw.'↗ (Torah EXO.5.13, JPS 1917)↗ · And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, to send them out of the land in haste; for they said: 'We are all dead men.'↗ (Torah EXO.12.33, JPS 1917)↗

urgently — Everyday, meaning 1: Urgently means very quickly, because something is important and must be done right now: «We need help urgently.».↗ Example: The hospital urgently needs blood donors.↗ · «Come quickly!» she said urgently.↗ · The roof leak must be fixed urgently before it rains again.↗ · The lost hiker urgently needed water.↗ · We urgently packed our bags when the flood warning came.↗ · The head teacher urgently called all the parents.↗ · She would not let him go, but he went on urgently entreating.↗

uriah — Everyday, meaning 1: (Bible) Uriah the Hittite was a loyal soldier in King David's army; David took Uriah's wife Bathsheba and had Uriah sent to the front of the battle, where he was killed.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A man's name.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Uriah Heep is a sly, falsely humble villain in Charles Dickens's novel David Copperfield.↗ Example: Uriah was a brave soldier in David's army.↗ · King David sent Uriah to the front of the battle.↗ · The prophet Nathan told David a story to show he had wronged Uriah.↗ · David was sorry for what he had done to Uriah.↗ · Uriah Heep keeps saying he is «very 'umble».↗ · Uriah would not go home while his fellow soldiers were in danger.↗ · Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai; (Writings 1CH.11.41, JPS 1917)↗ · And next unto them repaired Meremoth the son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz.↗ (Writings NEH.3.4, JPS 1917)↗ · And one said: 'Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?'↗ (Prophets 2SA.11.3, JPS 1917)↗