Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

up|chuck /ʌ ptʃʌ k/ (upchucks , upchucking , upchucked ) VERB If you upchuck , food and drink comes back up from your stomach and out through your mouth. [AM , INFORMAL ] in BRIT, use throw up

up|com|ing /ʌ pkʌm I ŋ/ ADJ [ADJ n] Upcoming events will happen in the near future. □  …the upcoming Commonwealth Games. □  We'll face a tough fight in the upcoming election.

up|country /ʌ pkʌ ntri/ also up-country ADJ [ADJ n] Upcountry places are towards the middle or north of a large country, usually in the countryside. □  …a collection of upcountry hamlets. ● ADV [be ADV , ADV after v] Upcountry is also an adverb. □  I run a cattle station some miles up-country. □  We went up-country to Ballarat.

up|cycle /ʌ psa I k ^ə l/ (upcycles , upcycling , upcycled ) VERB If you upcycle something such as an old item of furniture, you repair, decorate, or change it so that it can be used again as something more fashionable or valuable. □ [V n] He hit upon the idea of upcycling weather-beaten sail cloth into jackets and bags. □ [V ] …some tips to help you upcycle. □ [V -ed] …upcycled furniture. ●  up|cy|cling N‑UNCOUNT □  Upcycling is a growing trend.

up|date (updates , updating , updated ) The verb is pronounced /ʌpde I t/. The noun is pronounced /ʌ pde I t/. 1 VERB If you update something, you make it more modern, usually by adding new parts to it or giving new information. □ [V n] He was back in the office, updating the work schedule on the computer. □ [V ] Airlines would prefer to update rather than retrain crews. □ [V -ed] …an updated edition of the book.

2 N‑COUNT An update is a news item containing the latest information about a particular situation. □  She had heard the news-flash on a TV channel's news update. □  …a weather update. □  …football results update.

3 VERB If you update someone on a situation, you tell them the latest developments in that situation. □ [V n + on ] We'll update you on the day's top news stories.

up|end /ʌ pe nd/ (upends , upending , upended ) VERB If you upend something, you turn it upside down. □ [V n] He upended the can, and swallowed. □ [V -ed] …upended flower pots.

u p fro nt also up-front , upfront

1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If you are up front about something, you act openly or publicly so that people know what you are doing or what you believe. [INFORMAL ] □ [+ about ] You can't help being biased so you may as well be up front about it. □  They tended to have a much more up-front attitude.

2 ADV [ADV after v] If a payment is made up front , it is made in advance and openly, so that the person being paid can see that the money is there. □  For the first time the government's actually put some money up front. □  Some companies charge a fee up front, but we don't think that's right. ● ADJ [ADJ n] Up front is also an adjective. □  The eleven percent loan has no up-front costs. □  …up-front charges.

up|grade (upgrades , upgrading , upgraded ) The verb is pronounced /ʌpgre I d/. The noun is pronounced /ʌ pgre I d/. 1 VERB [usu passive] If equipment or services are upgraded , they are improved or made more efficient. □ [be V -ed] Helicopters have been upgraded and modernized. □ [V -ed] …upgraded catering facilities. [Also V ] ● N‑COUNT [usu pl] Upgrade is also a noun. □  …equipment which needs expensive upgrades. □ [+ in ] …upgrades in the level of security.