Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: GEOGRAPHY

Date: 1200-1300
Origin: up

upper

1 adjective
     
up‧per1 W2 [only before noun]
1 in a higher position than something else [≠ lower]:
the upper lip
2 near or at the top of something [≠ lower]:
the upper floors of a building
There is an upper age limit for becoming a pilot.
3

have/gain the upper hand

to have more power than someone else, so that you are able to control a situation:
Police have gained the upper hand over the drug dealers in the area.
4 more important than other parts or ranks in an organization, system etc:
the upper echelons (=the most important members) of corporate management
5SG further from the sea or further north than other parts of an area:
the upper reaches of the Nile

➔ a stiff upper lip

at stiff1 (10)
Definition of upper from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic GEOGRAPHY
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