What is upon? How to use in English

Definition & pronunciation of upon

uponpreposition

trên, ở trên

/əˈpɒn/

Definition & pronunciation of <b>upon</b>

Where does the word upon come from?

The origin of the word "upon" is fascinating! It's an English preposition that has been in use for over 1,000 years. The modern word "upon" comes from the Old English phrase "up on," which meant "upwardly" or "above." This phrase was used to indicate movement upward or direction above something. Over time, the phrase "up on" underwent a process called grammaticalization, where a phrase becomes a single word with a specific grammatical function. In the 11th century, "up on" started to be written as a single word, "upon," and its meaning expanded to include ideas of time, space, and direction. Today, "upon" is used to indicate various relationships, such as location, time, or circumstances, as in "I'll be upon the mountain" or "I'm thinking upon the future." Despite its evolution, the foundation of "upon" remains rooted in its Old English origins.

Vocabulary summary upon

typepreposition

meaningon, above

exampleupon the wide sea

meaningat the moment, at the time, in the air, while

exampleupon the heavy middle of the night

exampleupon a long voyage

meaningthanks to, by, thanks to

exampleto depend upon someone to live

Example of vocabulary uponnamespace

  • The decision was based upon two considerations.
  • As soon as the sun rose upon the horizon, the birds began to sing.
  • The criminal was captured upon the completion of the investigation.
  • The student received an excellent grade upon submitting the assignment before the deadline.
  • The company announced its new product upon conducting extensive market research.
meaning

used to emphasize that there is a large number or amount of something

  • mile upon mile of dusty road
  • thousands upon thousands of letters

Idioms of vocabulary upon

once upon a time
used, especially at the beginning of stories, to mean ‘a long time ago in the past’
  • Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess.
(almost) upon you
if something in the future is almost upon you, it is going to arrive or happen very soon
  • The summer season was almost upon them again.

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