uptick

noun

up·​tick ˈəp-ˌtik 

plural upticks

1

: an increase, rise, or upward trend

For the professional middle class in particular, an uptick in innovation and a return to faster economic growth would solve many problems, and likely reignite income growth.

—Don Peck

Any near-term uptick in jobs will probably be small, because there's still plenty to be milked from existing workers.

—Rana Foroohar

2

finance : a stock market transaction at a price above the last previous transaction in the same security

Hong Kong has long required that stocks can only be sold short on upticks, meaning when the last trade of a specific stock in the market was higher than the preceding trade of that stock.

—Martin Fackler and Keith Bradsher

compare downtick sense 2

Synonyms

• accretion
• accrual
• addendum
• addition
• augmentation
• boost
• expansion
• gain
• increase
• increment
• more
• plus
• proliferation
• raise
• rise
• step-up
• supplement

Examples of uptick in a Sentence

an uptick in sales over the last fiscal year

Recent Examples on the Web

Homicide and nonfatal shooting totals fell again in 2023, but the city was roiled by robbery and carjacking crews responsible for an overall uptick in violence. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025

Bird flu outbreaks in poultry and dairy herds U.S. officials and farmers have braced in recent winters for an uptick in outbreaks, as migrating wild birds that spread the virus fly south from Canada. —Alexander Tin, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2025

Being moved to a contending team could see an uptick in production from him and Kuzma could seriously make a difference for this Cleveland team. —David Faris, Newsweek, 19 Jan. 2025

Is that related to an uptick in Miami? Arrests of the homeless have become increasingly common in Miami Beach in recent years, making up about one-quarter of arrests citywide in 2021 and about one-third in 2022 and 2023, according to annual figures from the police department. —Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

up entry 2 + tick entry 1

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

uptick

noun

up·​tick

ˈəp-ˌtik

: an increase, rise, or upward trend

an uptick in cost