upriver
upriver Lexical Profile
upriver Game Scores & Validity
• adverb
Toward or nearer the source of a river; against the current.
"Every autumn, the salmon swim upriver to reach their ancestral spawning grounds."
American To or in prison (originally referring to Sing Sing prison up the Hudson River from New York City).
"After his conviction for fraud, the former executive was sent upriver for five years."
• adjective
Situated or moving toward the source of a river, against the direction of the current.
"The upriver communities relied on seasonal floods to irrigate their farmlands."
• noun
The upper part or region of a river, closer to its source.
"Heavy rainfall in the upriver caused water levels to rise rapidly near the delta."
Word Nuance & Usage
The slang sense 'in or to prison' (as in 'sent upriver') originated in New York City, referring to Sing Sing Correctional Facility located up the Hudson River in Ossining.