Meanings
prepositional phrase
- idiomaticRising; becoming greater in number or magnitude.
Even then, the line's future could not considered absolutely secure. At best, it was on probation. Road transport was on the up and the railways were on the down.
2021 November 17, Mark Rand, “Reconnecting rail freight to S&C quarries”, in RAIL, number 944, page 52
Synonyms & antonyms
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Cite this entry
APA
on the up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20up
MLA
“on the up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20up. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on the up,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20up.
Source: on the up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.