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high-up

high-up

5 7.1
A person with an important job in an organization
  • noun
  • /haɪ ʌp/
translation icon : alto cargo
  • And it's no secret that all the higher-ups are blaming you.
  • high-ups want

Their jurisdictions overlapped in countless matters, a deliberate policy no doubt, of the higher ups in Berlin.

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Examples

  • So if you know someone somewhere really high up, you're gonna get special treatment, right?

  • The higher-ups in the Obama administration who turned their backs on Woods and Doherty could never understand such men.

    Blog text (21)
  • But my higher ups knew I was not into the job that I was doing.

  • And this fellow talks to the highest of high-ups about this very issue.

    Blog text (3)
  • Yes, it's reviewed by higher-ups, sometimes by one person, but it's put together by a team.

    Blog text (4)
  • Well, OK, so I've had this conversation with people high up enough at YouTube that they should at least know the right answers whether they tell them to me or not.

  • We're talking about people in our government, high-up and oft-quoted religious leaders, people with the ear of the president (and our current president has stated his solidarity with them).

    Blog text (3)
  • The manager often consults with the higher-up to make important decisions.

  • Many employees feel intimidated when speaking to a higher-up about their concerns.

  • During the meeting, the higher-ups outlined their plans for the upcoming quarter.

Synonyms

VIP
vshigh-up
125 3.1

A very important person who gets special treatment

is a neutral label for an important or influential position without privilege
eminence
vshigh-up
  • Formal
52 7.4

A very respected person in a field who is often an expert

is an ordinary important organizational role rather than marked distinction
dignitary
vshigh-up
31 6.9

A person who has an important job in government or the church

is the general influential position not limited to official public roles
bigwig
vshigh-up
  • Informal
22 6.9

An important person with power in a company or group

is a general important or influential role rather than stressing power
top dog
vshigh-up
  • Informal
21 4.6

A person with the most power in a group

is any important or influential role not only the single top person
16 2.5

A person with great power or status who gets special treatment

is the general idea of an important role rather than added attention
higher-up
vshigh-up
  • Informal
4 4.2

A person with more power in a company or group

is a broad important or influential role that need not be higher rank
supremo
vshigh-up
3 8.4

A person who is the most important leader in a group or organization

is any important or influential position but not necessarily the top one
king of the hill
vshigh-up
  • Informal
2 4.4

A person or group who is top and most powerful after a competition

is a general influential role not focused on competition or victory
top cat
vshigh-up
  • Informal
1 7.5

A person who is in charge of a group and makes the main decisions

is the general important role rather than necessarily the most important
big daddy
vshigh-up
  • Slang
1 8.1

An important person who makes key decisions for a group

is any important or influential person without implying top power
top banana
vshigh-up
  • Archaic
1 7.7

The most important person in a group or organization

is a broad important role not restricted to the highest rank
hierarch
vshigh-up
1 9.9

A person who has a high position in a church or other group

is a broad important position used beyond hierarchical settings
high-muck-a-muck
vshigh-up
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who acts very important and looks down on others

is a plain neutral word for an influential person without mockery
panjandrum
vshigh-up
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who acts too proud and tries to seem important

is a neutral label for organizational influence rather than mocking character
high muckamuck
vshigh-up
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who has an important job that people mention as a joke

is a neutral term for someone with organizational influence without humor

Antonyms

99 2.4

Having lower rank or less experience than another person

A person who has a less important job or less power in an organization

How Important

executive
533 4.5
high-up
5 7.1
manager
1.6
staff member
90 1.5

Surface Forms

high-up singular
high-ups plural

Morphology

high-up = high (transparent) = up + high

The noun is a straightforward compound from 'high' + 'up' meaning someone 'high up' in an organization, which learners can derive from the components. [Postprocessing: moved 'up' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

The word high-up comes from joining high and up, which together mean 'in a high position'. Think of someone standing at the top of a ladder looking down; that's why a high-up is a person with an important or powerful job.