upstream

[ uhp-streem ]

adverb

1. toward or in the higher part of a stream; against the current.

adjective

1. directed upstream; situated upstream:

   an upstream journey; an upstream hideout.

2. Commerce. of or relating to the early stages in the operations of a business or industry, as exploration and production in the oil business ( downstream ).
3. against or opposite to the direction of transcription, translation, or synthesis of a DNA, RNA, or protein molecule.

upstream

/ ˈʌpˈstriːm /

adverb

1. in or towards the higher part of a stream; against the current
2. See downstream
   (in the oil industry) of or for any of the stages prior to oil production, such as exploration or research Compare downstream

Word History and Origins

Origin of upstream¹

First recorded in 1675–85; up- + stream

Example Sentences

While some teams have successfully incorporated Indigenous people into conversations about inclusion and representation, others continue to swim upstream in a constant search for endorsement.

From FiveThirtyEight

Automation threatens 50% of upstream energy jobs in the province, according to an August report by EY.

From Fortune

Providing more integrated campaigns that tie in different capabilities moves publishers further upstream, closer to the decision making, rather than working ad hoc on campaigns.

From Digiday

Dopamine, for example, only grabs onto the downstream neurons for a bit before it returns back to its upstream neuron—that is, recycled or destroyed.

From Singularity Hub 

Rather, synapses between two neurons change how often they’ll talk to each other—if an upstream neuron reliably passes on information to its downstream partner, then the two are “connected.”

From Singularity Hub 

You wanted to be upstream with the artists, not downstream with the consumers.

From The Daily Beast

The young men and women who went there drank like upstream salmon and studied in between switching kegs at kegger parties.

From The Daily Beast

You don't pay them, they usually make a gift to the cause so it's like the river is running upstream on this one.

From The Daily Beast

And his air of having the inside line has clearly won over admirers upstream as well as down.

From The Daily Beast

Melissa Lion is the author of two novels, Swollen and Upstream, both published by Random House.

From The Daily Beast

Tom cast off and Ruth pushed the boat's nose upstream, then settled herself to one of the oars while Uncle Jabez took the other.

From Project Gutenberg

So he kept on, posting the last of the mermen in his mental relay well away from the city, but swimming upstream himself.

From Project Gutenberg

After fifteen minutes Hal directed that the skipper take his boat far enough upstream to make up for the drift.

From Project Gutenberg

There's a craft moving out from the American shore, about a mile upstream, isn't there!

From Project Gutenberg

It was evident that those aboard the craft upstream had made out the pursuing motor boat.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• ambitious
• arduous
• burdensome
• challenging
• crucial
• demanding
• laborious
• onerous
• painful
• problematic
• severe
• strenuous
• tough
• troublesome