FromMiddle Englishupshiften,upschyften(“to raise”), equivalent toup- +shift.
upshift (pluralupshifts)
- (automotive, cycling) Ashift to a highergear.
- Antonym:downshift
- Hypernym:gear change
1999, Kurt Neuffer, Kurt Engelsdorf, “Transmission Control”, in Ronald K. Jurgen, editor,Automotive Electronics Handbook[1], page323:For example, the vehicle starts off in second gear or anupshift takes place at lower engine speeds.
- A shift to a higher level, such as offrequency,growth,economiclevel, etc.
- Antonym:downshift
- Hypernyms:shift,change
upshift (third-person singular simple presentupshifts,present participleupshifting,simple past and past participleupshifted)
- (automotive, cycling) To shift to a higher gear.
- Antonym:downshift
- Hypernym:shift gears
You canupshift to second gear once the car is moving.
- (transitive) To shift to a higher level, such as of frequency, growth rate, economic level, etc.
- Antonym:downshift
- Hypernym:shift gears
The frequency of the light isupshifted.
2010, Meryl Runion,How To Restore Sanity To Our Political Conversations, page113:That's how youupshift a conversation so you can navigate the great political divide in a way that insights, not incites.
2014, Lyn Sharratt, Gale Harild,Good to Great to Innovate:Collectively, we need to “up-shift” our thinking—we need a new mindset.
2016, Amal Treacher Kabesh,Postcolonial Masculinities, page73:Irritation will also occur if you or your family have never had, and will never have, a chance to 'upshift'.
