go up

verb

went up; gone up; going up; goes up

intransitive verb

1
: to be built or erected
a new sign went up
2
chiefly British : to attend a university
3
of an actor : to become confused
see also:
go up in flames go up in smoke

Examples of go up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In other words, as the price of long distance, smartphones, information technology, and so much else plummets, the price of hotel suites, Knicks tickets and K-12 tuition goes up. — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 For now, the NXT Women’s Championship is on the line as Grey goes up against Jordan. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Social Security goes up every year but then Medicare that is taken out of Social Security payments also increase. — Will Richmond, The Providence Journal, 29 Aug. 2026 Since Anthropic first introduced MCP in 2024, mentions of the term on corporate earnings calls among businesses globally have steadily gone up every quarter, according to data from AlphaSense. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for go up

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of go up was in the 15th century

Rhymes for go up

See All Rhymes for go up

Browse Nearby Words

Gounod
go up
go up in flames
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Go up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20up. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All