up to

preposition

1

—used as a function word to indicate extension as far as a specified place

sank up to his knees in the mud

2

—used as a function word to indicate a limit or boundary

up to 50,000 copies a month

worked up to the last minute

Examples of up to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

He was arrested again in San Francisco on Nov. 15 and Nov. 20, each time with drugs and a firearm, before being locked up to await trial on one of the crimes he’d been booked on in L.A. Rampart Division Capt. —Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2024

President-elect Donald Trump has been ordered to spend up to four hours answering questions under oath as part of his lawsuit against ABC and host George Stephanopoulos. —Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024

The Constitutional Court has up to 180 days to determine whether to dismiss Yoon as president or restore his powers. —Kim Tong-Hyung, Chicago Tribune, 14 Dec. 2024

There is no age limit to participate and no school affiliation is necessary to audition; up to eight groups will be selected, with the announcement of those set for Feb. 3. —Eric E. Harrison, arkansasonline.com, 14 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

up to

preposition

1

: as far as a named part or place

sank up to my hips

2

: in accordance with

the game was not up to our standards

3

a

: to the limit of

come in sizes up to 10

b

: as many or as much as

carry up to 10 tons

4

: until entry 1, till

from dawn up to dusk