upon

upon
/euh pon", euh pawn"/, prep.
1. up and on; upward so as to get or be on: He climbed upon his horse and rode off.
2. in an elevated position on: There is a television antenna upon every house in the neighborhood.
3. in or into complete or approximate contact with, as an attacker or an important or pressing occasion: The enemy was upon us and our soldiers had little time to escape. The Christmas holiday will soon be upon us and we have hardly begun to buy gifts. The time to take action is upon us.
4. immediately or very soon after: She went into mourning upon her husband's death.
5. on the occasion of: She was joyful upon seeing her child take his first steps.
6. on (in any of various senses, used as an equivalent of on with no added idea of ascent or elevation, and preferred in certain cases only for euphonic or metrical reasons): He swore upon his honor as a gentleman.
[1150-1200; ME; see UP (adv.), ON (prep.)]

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Upon — Up*on , prep.[AS. uppan, uppon; upp up + on, an, on. See {Up}, and {On}.] On; used in all the senses of that word, with which it is interchangeable. Upon an hill of flowers. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] Our host upon his stirrups stood anon. Chaucer.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • upon — tends to sound more formal and emphatic than on when the two are used interchangeably: to look upon someone as a friend is a somewhat more imposing proposition than to look on them as a friend. Upon is the only choice in certain fixed expressions …   Modern English usage

  • upon — [ə pän′, ə pôn′] prep. [ME < up,UP1 + on,ON, prob. infl. by ON upp á (< upp, upward + á, on)] ON (in various senses), or up and on: on and upon are generally interchangeable, the choice being governed by idiom, sentence rhythm, etc. adv. 1 …   English World dictionary

  • upon — early 12c., from UP (Cf. up) + ON (Cf. on); probably influenced by O.N. upp a. Distinct from O.E. uppan which merely meant up. In the mod. Scand. tongues, except Icelandic and Færöese, the reduced form pa, paa, corresponding to Eng. (colloq. or… …   Etymology dictionary

  • upon */*/*/ — UK [əˈpɒn] / US [əˈpɑn] preposition Collocations: Upon is much more formal than on, but it can be used with the same meanings as the preposition on in the following cases: on/onto an object or surface: It fell upon the ground. supported by a part …   English dictionary

  • upon — [[t]əpɒ̱n[/t]] ♦♦ (In addition to the uses shown below, upon is used in phrasal verbs such as come upon and look upon , and after some other verbs such as decide and depend .) 1) PREP If one thing is upon another, it is on it. [FORMAL] He set the …   English dictionary

  • upon — up|on [ ə pan ] preposition *** 1. ) on LITERARY on or onto something: Shadows were flickering upon the studio floor. He believes we were put upon this earth for a purpose. 2. ) used after some verbs instead of on FORMAL used after some verbs… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • upon — up|on W1S3 [əˈpɔn US əˈpa:n] prep formal [Date: 1100 1200; Origin: up + on] 1.) used to mean on or onto ▪ an honour bestowed upon the association ▪ We are completely dependent upon your help. ▪ Brandon threw him upon the ground. 2.) if a time or… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • UPON — prep. = ON. Usage: Upon is sometimes more formal, and is preferred in once upon a time and upon my word, and in uses such as row upon row of seats and Christmas is almost upon us. Etymology: ME f. UP + ON prep., after ON upp aacute …   Useful english dictionary

  • upon — (as used in expressions) Kingston upon Hull Newcastle (upon Tyne), William Cavendish, 1 duque de Newcastle upon Tyne Stratford upon Avon …   Enciclopedia Universal

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