Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

2 ADJ [ADJ n] You use upper to describe the higher part of something. □  …the upper part of the foot. □  …the upper rungs of the ladder.

3 PHRASE If you have the upper hand in a situation, you have more power than the other people involved and can make decisions about what happens. □  The government was beginning to gain the upper hand. □  It was easy to see who had the upper hand.

4 N‑COUNT [usu pl] The upper of a shoe is the top part of it, which is attached to the sole and the heel. □  Leather uppers allow the feet to breathe.

u p|per ca se ADJ [usu ADJ n] Upper case letters are capital letters. □  Most schools teach children lower case letters first, and upper case letters later. ● N‑UNCOUNT Upper case is also a noun. □  I'm wondering if 'per capita' ought to have upper case, or should it be lower case?

u p|per cla ss (upper classes ) also upper-class N‑COUNT [with sing or pl verb] The upper class or the upper classes are the group of people in a society who own the most property and have the highest social status, and who may not need to work for money. □  …goods specifically designed to appeal to the tastes of the upper class. ● ADJ [usu ADJ n] Upper class is also an adjective. □  All of them came from wealthy, upper class families.

upper|class|man /ʌ pə ^r klɑː smən/ (upperclassmen ) N‑COUNT An upperclassman is a junior or senior student in an American high school, college, or university. [AM ]

u p|per cru st also upper-crust N‑SING [with sing or pl verb] The upper crust are the upper classes. [INFORMAL ] □  …the kind of lifestyle of the privileged upper crust. ● ADJ [ADJ n] Upper crust is also an adjective. □  Sergeant Parrott normally spoke with an upper-crust accent.

upper|cut /ʌ pə ^r kʌt/ (uppercuts ) N‑COUNT An uppercut is a type of punch used in boxing. It is a hard upward blow to the chin.

U p|per Hou se (Upper Houses )

1 N‑PROPER In Britain, the Upper House is the House of Lords . □ [+ of ] The decision was announced after objections were raised in the Upper House of Parliament.

2 N‑PROPER In the United States, the Upper House is the Senate .

3 N‑COUNT [oft N -PROPER ] In other countries where the parliament is divided into two groups of members, the Upper House is the more senior of these groups, although it may not be more powerful. □ [+ of ] The Upper House of parliament is to meet today.

u p|per li p (upper lips )

1 N‑COUNT [usu sing] Your upper lip is the part of your face between your mouth and your nose. □  The beginnings of a moustache showed on his upper lip.

2 N‑COUNT Your upper lip is the higher of your two lips. □  His upper lip was flat, but the lower one sagged.

upper|most /ʌ pə ^r moʊst/

1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] The uppermost part of something is the part that is higher than the rest of it. The uppermost thing is the highest one of a group of things. □  John was on the uppermost floor of the three-storey gatehouse. □  The rain spattered on the uppermost leaves. ● ADV [n ADV ] Uppermost is also an adverb. □  Lift the fish and carefully place it on a large board, flat side uppermost.

2 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If something is uppermost in a particular situation, it is the most important thing in that situation. □  The economy appears to be uppermost in people's minds.