upon
upon Lexical Profile
upon Game Scores & Validity
• preposition
In an elevated position on; resting on the surface of or supported by.
"She placed the antique vase carefully upon the wooden mantelpiece."
Immediately after or very soon after an event or action; on the occasion of.
"Upon graduating from university, he accepted a research position in Geneva."
Approaching closely in time or space; imminent or about to happen to.
"The winter holidays will soon be upon us, so we should finalize our travel plans."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Upon' is generally a more formal or literary equivalent of 'on', though it remains standard in fixed idiomatic expressions such as 'once upon a time', 'depend upon', and 'upon arrival'.
• Rhymes for upon
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English uppon, formed by combining Old English up ('up') and on ('on'), influenced in structure by Old Norse upp á.