upstream

Formsfurther upstream, farther upstream, furthest upstream, farthest upstream

Formsfurther upstream, farther upstream, furthest upstream, farthest upstream

Pluralupstreams

Formsupstreams, upstreaming, upstreamed

1. 1
   adjective

   Moving or pointing against the way a river or stream flows, toward where the water comes from.

   Like swimming toward where a river starts, against the push of the water.

   The upstream journey took twice as long against the strong current.

   Salmon make an exhausting upstream swim to reach their spawning grounds.

   Similarupriver

   Oppositedownstream, downriver

   Note
2. 2
   adverb

   In the direction against the flow of a river or current.

   The boat pushed upstream against the swollen river.

   They paddled upstream for hours before stopping to rest.

   Similarupriver

   Oppositedownstream, downriver

   Note
3. 3
   noun

   The part of a river that is closer to where the water starts.

   The upstream of the creek stays cool and shaded all summer.

   Fish swim to the upstream to lay their eggs.

   Note
4. 4
   adjectivefiguratively

   Happening earlier in a process and shaping or causing what comes later.

   Like a small leak near the top of a hill that causes floods further down.

   Upstream decisions made in early planning shaped every later stage of the build.

   Tackling the upstream causes of disease reduces the costs that follow.

   Similarearlier, preceding, prior

   Oppositedownstream

   Note
5. 5
   adjectivefiguratively

   Sending data from your computer toward the main server.

   Like mailing a letter from your house to a company's office.

   Slow upstream speeds make it hard to upload large videos.

   The upstream connection failed, so the file never reached the server.

   Oppositedownstream

   Note
6. 6
   adjectivefiguratively

   Coming from the people who first made and still manage the software, not a changed copy.

   Like the original recipe a restaurant chain sends to all its kitchens.

   The bug was fixed in the upstream version, so update to get it.

   Many users prefer the upstream release over the company's changed copy.

   Oppositedownstream

   Note
7. 7
   noununcountable

   The people who first made and still manage a piece of software.

   Like the head office of a chain that decides what all the branches use.

   She sent her fix to upstream and hoped they would accept it.

   Upstream released a new version with the security fix.

   Note
8. 8
   adjectivefiguratively

   About finding and getting oil and gas out of the ground, not refining or selling them.

   Like a fruit farm that grows and picks apples, not the store that sells them.

   The company put most of its money into upstream work like drilling new wells.

   Upstream jobs often mean working far out at sea on oil rigs.

   Oppositedownstream

   Note
9. 9
   verbtransitive

   To get your code change accepted by the software's main developers so they keep and share it.

   Like giving your recipe to the main cookbook so everyone gets it in the next edition.

   The developers want to upstream their changes so others can use them.

   She decided to upstream the driver instead of maintaining it alone.

   Similarcontribute

   Note
10. 10
    adjectivefiguratively

    Lying toward the front (5′) end of a strand of DNA.

    Like the on-switch placed before a machine on an assembly line.

    The upstream region of the gene controls when it switches on.

    Scientists found a mutation in the upstream part of the DNA strand.

    Oppositedownstream

    Note
11. 11
    verbintransitive

    To flow or move upward in a stream.

    Like smoke rising up from a fire.

    Sparks upstream from the bonfire into the night sky.

    Smoke upstreamed steadily from the chimney.

    Similarrise, stream, ascend

    Note

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