upstream

B1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌʌpˈstriːm/ UK /ˌʌpˈstriːm/ See IPA manual

Freq #20935

Meanings

1

adv
toward a river's source or against the direction of its current

The rowers struggled upstream against the fast current.
2

adj
situated nearer a river's source or against the direction of flow

Pollution from the upstream factory reached the town by evening.
3

adj
occurring earlier in a process, system, or supply chain and therefore able to affect later stages

The team fixed the upstream data error before it reached the reporting system.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adv · toward a river's source or... upriver

2 adj · situated nearer a river's... upriver

3 adj · occurring earlier in a... earlier preceding

Opposites

downstreamdownriver

Word family

Related forms stream headwaters current downstream

Appears in

Proverbs (2)

See all

Etymology

An English compound of up + stream, first describing movement toward a stream's source. Technical and organizational uses extend the river metaphor to an earlier point in a process, system, or supply chain.

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# upstream

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adv, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˌʌpˈstriːm/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌʌpˈstriːm/
**Frequency rank:** 20935

## Meanings
1. toward a river's source or against the direction of its current
2. situated nearer a river's source or against the direction of flow
3. occurring earlier in a process, system, or supply chain and therefore able to affect later stages

## Examples
- The rowers struggled upstream against the fast current.
- Pollution from the upstream factory reached the town by evening.
- The team fixed the upstream data error before it reached the reporting system.

## Synonyms
- upriver
- earlier
- preceding

## Antonyms
- downstream
- downriver

## Related Forms
- stream
- headwaters
- current
- downstream

## Etymology
An English compound of up + stream, first describing movement toward a stream's source. Technical and organizational uses extend the river metaphor to an earlier point in a process, system, or supply chain.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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