1. To improve what was old or outdated
   "I've upgraded my computer so I can run better software"; "The company upgraded their personnel"
    
2. Increase the rating or capacity of something
   "The agency upgraded the company's credit rating";
   - uprate
    
3. Give a promotion to or assign to a higher position
   "I got upgraded after many years of hard work";
   - promote, advance, kick upstairs [informal], raise, elevate
    
4. Get better travel conditions
   "I upgraded to First Class when Coach Class was overbooked"
    
5. Give better travel conditions to
   "The airline upgraded me when I arrived late and Coach Class was full"

1. The act of improving something (especially machinery) by raising it to a higher grade (as by adding or replacing components)
   "the power plant received a new upgrade"
    
2. Software that provides better performance than an earlier version did
   "The latest upgrade significantly improved the app's speed and functionality"
    
3. Hardware that provides better performance than an earlier version did
   "He installed a memory upgrade to improve his computer's speed"
    
4. A reservation that is improved
   "I got an upgrade to first class when coach class was full"
    
5. [N. Amer] An upward slope or grade (as in a road)
   "The cyclists struggled with the steep upgrade";
   - ascent, acclivity, rise, raise, climb
    
6. [N. Amer] The property possessed by a slope or surface that rises
   "The hikers struggled with the upgrade of the mountain trail";
   - rise, rising slope

Derived forms: upgraded, upgrades, upgrading

Type of: ameliorate, amend, assign, better, computer hardware, computer software, delegate, depute, designate, grade, hardware, improve, improvement, incline, meliorate, mend, package, place, range, rank, rate, reservation, side, slope, software, software package, software program, software system

Antonym: downgrade

Encyclopedia: Upgrade