Meanings
prepositional phrase
- USidiomaticTo prison.
The former baseball player that Cincinnati idolized is being sent up the river to Ashland, Ky., to serve a prison term for cheating on his taxes.
1990 July 21, “Pete Rose: He doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame”, in Dallas Morning News, retrieved 23 Sep 2010
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Origin
A reference to Sing Sing prison, which is located on the Hudson river, to the north of (and upstream from) New York City.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish telkien taakse, leivättömän pöydän ääreen
- telkien taakseidiomatic: to prison
- leivättömän pöydän ääreenidiomatic: to prison
Cite this entry
APA
up the river. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/up%20the%20river
MLA
“up the river.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/up%20the%20river. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “up the river,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/up%20the%20river.
Source: up the river on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.