up to here

prepositional phrase

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see up to, here.

“I am stuffed up to here with appetizers.”

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

prepositional phrase

alternative up to one's eyeballs · alternative up to one's eyes · alternative up to one's ears · alternative up to one's neck

  1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see up to, here.

    Just fill the bucket with water up to here.

  2. idiomaticOverwhelmed, busy, buried or swamped.

    I have been up to here in paperwork all week.

    1 more example

    They have their lives to live and I'm up to here in disgust with mine.

    1953, Raymond Chandler, chapter 12, in The Long Goodbye
  3. Used as an intensifier.

    I am stuffed up to here with appetizers.

    1 more example

    I have had it up to here with his sarcasm.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
up to one's chinup to one's neckup to the chin

Origin

All such constructions, along with elbow-deep, knee-deep, waist-deep, neckdeep, and so on, rely on the same metaphor: the depth to which a wader or swimmer is submerged in a body of water.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish kaulaa myöten
  • kaulaa myötenoverwhelmed, swamped
French jusqu'au cou
  • jusqu'au couoverwhelmed, swamped
Polish dość, potąd
  • dośćoverwhelmed, swamped
  • potądoverwhelmed, swamped
Portuguese por aqui
  • por aquioverwhelmed, swamped
Romanian până în gât, până peste cap
  • până în gâtoverwhelmed, swamped
  • până peste capoverwhelmed, swamped
Spanish hasta el gorro, hasta el culo
  • hasta el gorrooverwhelmed, swamped
  • hasta el culooverwhelmed, swamped
Turkish boğazına kadar, gırtlağına kadar
  • boğazına kadaroverwhelmed, swamped
  • gırtlağına kadaroverwhelmed, swamped
Cite this entry
APA

up to here. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/up%20to%20here

MLA

“up to here.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/up%20to%20here. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “up to here,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/up%20to%20here.

Source: up to here on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.