# upright

/ˈəˌpɹaɪt/ (US) · /ˈʌpɹaɪt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/upright
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. vertical

adjective · CEFR B2

standing straight up rather than lying down or sitting.

For teachers: positioned vertically or in an erect posture.

- The cat sat in an upright position, watching the bird through the window.
- The physical therapist instructed the patient to maintain an upright posture to alleviate the chronic pressure on his lower vertebrae.

### 2. honest and moral

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

honest, fair, and having good values.

For teachers: possessing or exhibiting high moral standards and integrity.

- Everyone respected him because he was an upright and hard-working member of the community.
- The judge was known as an upright citizen whose commitment to the letter of the law was beyond reproach.

### 3. in a vertical way

adverb · CEFR B2

in a vertical position.

For teachers: in or into a vertical or erect position.

- Please place the box upright so the liquid inside doesn't leak out.
- After the earthquake, only a few stone pillars remained standing upright among the ruins of the ancient temple.

### 4. a vertical post

noun · CEFR B2

a strong post or bar that stands straight up to support something.

For teachers: a vertical structural member, such as a post in a goalframe or a support in a building.

- The ball hit the upright of the goal and bounced back into the field.
- The carpenters installed the steel uprights first to ensure the entire wooden frame would be structurally sound.

### 5. a type of piano

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a piano where the strings are vertical, making it take up less space than a grand piano.

For teachers: a piano with a vertical housing for the strings and soundboard.

- They didn't have room for a grand piano, so they bought an old upright instead.
- The studio was equipped with a well-maintained upright that had a surprisingly bright and percussive tone for its size.

### 6. to stand something up

verb · CEFR C2 · Formal

to put something back into a vertical position after it has fallen over.

For teachers: to restore something to a vertical or proper orientation.

- It took three people to upright the heavy statue after it fell during the storm.
- The recovery crew worked for hours to upright the overturned lorry and clear the motorway for traffic.

## Examples

- Please make sure your seat is in the upright position.
- The physical therapist reminded him to keep an upright posture while working at his desk to avoid back pain.
- The ancient stone pillars remained remarkably upright despite centuries of seismic activity and weathering that had leveled the surrounding structures.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.