upstream
adverb or adjective
up·stream
ˈəp-ˈstrēm 
1
: in the direction opposite to the flow of a stream
2
: in or to a position within the production stream closer to manufacturing processes
make most of its money upstream, selling cheap crude … to refineries—
John Quirt
John Quirt3
biochemistry
: toward the beginning of a series of cellular processes : preceding a linked molecular event occurring in a sequence
Many signaling pathways possess intrinsic negative feedback by which a downstream event in a pathway turns off an upstream event.—Harvey Lodish et al.
Harvey Lodish et al.Examples of upstream in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The only alternative is to shift our prevention work upstream, working to prevent people from being persuaded by propaganda and conspiracy theories to begin with and address the root causes that lead people down those rabbit holes to begin with.
—Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
Ultimately, investment opportunities are immense with companies that are positioned upstream of the actual manufacturers and can benefit from the retooling of the U.S. workforce.
—Steven Dudash, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
And the water was a comfortable temperature: Unlike the bracing snowmelt that many rafters brave across the western United States, the Upper Klamath water that flowed from Boyle Reservoir and Upper Klamath Lake farther upstream was known for its warmth.
—Kelly Bastone, Outside Online, 24 Nov. 2024
The dismantling of the dams will allow salmon to swim upstream and spawn along more than 400 miles of the Klamath and its tributaries, reaching cold spring-fed waters that have been inaccessible for more than a century.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for upstream 
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Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
Ultimately, investment opportunities are immense with companies that are positioned upstream of the actual manufacturers and can benefit from the retooling of the U.S. workforce.
—Steven Dudash, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
And the water was a comfortable temperature: Unlike the bracing snowmelt that many rafters brave across the western United States, the Upper Klamath water that flowed from Boyle Reservoir and Upper Klamath Lake farther upstream was known for its warmth.
—Kelly Bastone, Outside Online, 24 Nov. 2024
The dismantling of the dams will allow salmon to swim upstream and spawn along more than 400 miles of the Klamath and its tributaries, reaching cold spring-fed waters that have been inaccessible for more than a century.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for upstream
Dictionary Entries Near upstream
Cite this Entry
“Upstream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upstream. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
upstream
adverb or adjective
up·stream
ˈəp-ˈstrēm
: at or toward the beginning of a stream : against the current
salmon swimming upstream
Medical Definition
upstream
adverb or adjective
up·stream
ˈəp-ˈstrēm
1
: in a direction along a molecule of DNA or RNA opposite to that in which transcription and translation take place and toward the end having a phosphate group attached to the position labeled 5′ in the terminal nucleotide
… stretches of DNA upstream of genes—are known as promoters.—Matt Ridley, Time
compare downstream sense 1
Matt Ridley, Time2
: toward the beginning of series of cellular processes : preceding a linked molecular event occurring in a sequence
It's equally important to focus on additional mechanisms that are upstream of amyloid formation and mechanisms downstream that are involved in the actual degenerative processes within neurons.—Marc Tessier-Lavigne, quoted in Science
Marc Tessier-Lavigne, quoted in ScienceLove words? Need even more definitions?
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