Meanings
plural upgrades
- An improved component or replacement item, usually applied to technology.
Near-synonym: option
2 more examples
With my phone company, I get a free upgrade every twelve months if I keep topping up 10 pounds a month.
The three dots next to each gadget show how many upgrades have been purchased.
2008, “PDA”, in Cory in the House: Instruction Booklet, Burbank, California: Disney Interactive Studios; Nintendo, page 11 - An improvement.
The remarried couples among my friends often joke that their divorce and remarriage amounted to an upgrade.
1 more example
"When we're finished in 2024, this upgrade programme will provide a much-improved railway between London Waterloo and Portsmouth," said NR's Wessex Route Director Mark Killick.
2022 January 12, “Network News: Portsmouth line upgrade set to begin”, in RAIL, number 948, page 12
present singular third person upgrades · participle present upgrading · participle past upgraded · past upgraded
- transitiveTo improve, usually applied to technology, generally by complete replacement of one or more components.
When you upgrade your standard of living, you become addicted to that standard of living.
Antonyms: downgrade
- transitiveTo replace with something better.
I had to upgrade my anti-virus software to protect my computer from the newer threats.
Antonyms: downgrade
- transitiveTo improve the equipment or furnishings of or services rendered to.
They were upgraded to first class.
4 more examples
They upgraded him to the latest model.
From the builder's standpoint, the name of the game is to upgrade you to the maximum you can qualify for.
2014, Sid Davis, A Survival Guide for Buying a Home - Page 80Calls at Cardiff Parkway are proposed once this station opens, with investment promised to upgrade station facilities at Severn Tunnel Junction.
2019 October, “South Wales open access bid”, in Modern Railways, page 15Several level crossings would have to be upgraded, with the existing track re-laid to allow a line speed of 60mph.
2022 December 14, “Network News: Fawley branch line reopening supported by 80% of locals”, in RAIL, number 972, page 20Antonyms: downgrade
- intransitivetransitivecomputingTo replace a program with a later version of itself, a version having a higher version number or marketed under a more recent product name.
She waited a long time to upgrade Windows, hoping the worst bugs would be worked out before she took the plunge.
1 more example
She waited a long time to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, hoping the worst bugs would be worked out before she took the plunge.
comparative further upgrade · comparative farther upgrade · superlative furthest upgrade · superlative farthest upgrade
- not comparableusuallyUp a slope or grade.
I did that and saw we had to go upgrade a long ways.
2013, Marty Metras, Walking the Walk, Camino de Santiago 2012, page 164 more examples
Men fell out, worn-out, and there were sunstroke cases. It was an eight-mile march upgrade.
1955, Carl Sandburg, Prairie-town boy, page 173Northbound trains originating near the Ohio River faced a 26-mile climb upgrade to Flushing.
2009, Craig Sanders, Canton Area Railroads, page 66From there it was an eight-mile pull upgrade to the mountain top.
2010, Elliott Merrick, True North: A Journey Into Unexplored Wilderness, page 167[...] 37905 hauls the 1,400-tonne 0730 Mossend-Margam upgrade from Shrewsbury, mainly at 1-in-100, through Church Stretton at around 25mph on May 13 1989.
2020 December 16, David Clough, “Class 37s at 60: the great survivors”, in Rail, page 55, photo caption
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn upward grade or slope.
nounAn improved component or replacement item, usually applied to technology.
verbTo improve, usually applied to technology, generally by complete replacement of one or more components.
verbTo replace with something better.
verbTo improve the equipment or furnishings of or services rendered to.
verbTo improve in condition or status.
More synonyms by meaning
nounan upward slope or grade (as in a road)
verbgive a promotion to or assign to a higher position
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Arabic تَرْقِيَة
- تَرْقِيَة (tarqiya)an improved component or replacement item
Catalan actualitzar
- actualitzarto replace a program with a later version of itself
Chinese Mandarin 升級 /升级
- 升級 /升级 (shēngjí)an improved component or replacement item
Dutch upgraden
- upgradento replace a program with a later version of itself
Finnish parannus, parantaa
- parannusan improved component or replacement item
- parantaato improve
- päivittää parempaanto replace an existing object with something better
- hankkia parempito replace an existing object with something better
- päivittääto replace a program with a later version of itself
French mise à niveau, upgrade
- mise à niveauan improved component or replacement item
- upgradean improved component or replacement item
- monter en gammeto replace an existing object with something better
German Upgrade, verbessern
- Upgradean improved component or replacement item
- verbessernto improve
- hochrüstento replace an existing object with something better
- nachrüstento replace an existing object with something better
- aufrüstento replace a program with a later version of itself
- upgradento replace a program with a later version of itself
Greek αναβάθμιση, αναβαθμίζω
- αναβάθμιση (anaváthmisi)an improved component or replacement item
- αναβαθμίζω (anavathmízo)to improve
- αναβαθμίζω (anavathmízo)to replace a program with a later version of itself
Hebrew שדרג, שדרג
- שדרג (shidrég)to improve
- שדרג (shidrég)to replace a program with a later version of itself
Hindi नवीनीकरण, अपग्रेड
- नवीनीकरण (navīnīkraṇ)an improved component or replacement item
- अपग्रेड (apagreḍ)an improved component or replacement item
Icelandic uppfærsla
- uppfærslaan improved component or replacement item
Indonesian memutakhirkan
- memutakhirkanto replace a program with a later version of itself
Irish uasghrádaigh
- uasghrádaighto replace a program with a later version of itself
Japanese 改良, 改善
- 改良 (kairyou)an improved component or replacement item
- 改善 (kaizen)an improved component or replacement item
- アップグレード (appugurēdo)an improved component or replacement item
Korean 업그레이드
- 업그레이드 (eopgeureideu)an improved component or replacement item
Malay naik taraf, menaik taraf
- naik tarafto replace a program with a later version of itself
- menaik tarafto replace a program with a later version of itself
Māori whakamohoatanga, whakakoungatanga
- whakamohoatangaan improved component or replacement item
- whakakoungatangaan improved component or replacement item
- whakamohoato improve
- whakakoungato replace an existing object with something better
Norwegian oppgrade
- oppgradeto replace an existing object with something better
Polish rozbudowa, modernizacja
- rozbudowaan improved component or replacement item
- modernizacjaan improved component or replacement item
- ulepszeniean improved component or replacement item
- rozbudowaćto improve
- aktualizowaćto replace a program with a later version of itself
Portuguese melhorar
- melhorarto improve
Russian модерниза́ция, апгре́йд
- модерниза́ция (modɛrnizácija)an improved component or replacement item
- апгре́йд (apgrɛ́jd)an improved component or replacement item
- обновле́ние (obnovlénije)an improved component or replacement item
- модернизи́ровать (modɛrnizírovatʹ)to improve
- улучша́ть (ulučšátʹ)to improve
- улу́чшить (ulúčšitʹ)to improve
- усоверше́нствовать (usoveršénstvovatʹ)to improve
- обновля́ть (obnovljátʹ)to improve
- обнови́ть (obnovítʹ)to improve
- апгре́йдить (apgréjditʹ)to improve
- обновить (obnovitʹ)to replace a program with a later version of itself
- апгре́йдить (apgréjditʹ)to replace a program with a later version of itself
Spanish mejora, actualización
- mejoraan improved component or replacement item
- actualizaciónan improved component or replacement item
- embonarto improve
- mejorarto improve
- actualizarto replace an existing object with something better
- mejorarto replace an existing object with something better
- cambiar a plan superiorto replace an existing object with something better
- actualizarto replace a program with a later version of itself
Swedish uppgradering, befordra
- uppgraderingan improved component or replacement item
- befordrato improve
- uppvärderato improve
- uppdaterato improve
- uppgraderato replace an existing object with something better
- uppgraderato replace a program with a later version of itself
Turkish yükseltme, iyileştirmek
- yükseltmean improved component or replacement item
- iyileştirmekto improve
- düzeltmekto improve
- kaliteyi geliştirmekto replace an existing object with something better
- yükseltmekto replace a program with a later version of itself
Ukrainian оновити
- оновити (onovyty)to replace a program with a later version of itself
Urdu اپگریڈ, درجہ فزونی
- اپگریڈ (apagreḍ)an improved component or replacement item
- درجہ فزونی (darja-fuzūnī)an improved component or replacement item
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with upgrade
Anagrams
Cite this entry
upgrade. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/upgrade
“upgrade.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/upgrade. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “upgrade,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/upgrade.
Source: upgrade on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.