upwards of
upwards of — 介系詞
1. at or above a stated number or amount, and often higher.
至少；超過
數量至少達到或高於某個數字
at or above a stated number or amount, and often higher.
The renovation cost upwards of fifty thousand dollars.
翻修費用花了至少五萬美元。
Mei-Lin estimated that upwards of three hundred guests attended the wedding reception.
Mei-Lin 估計至少有三百位賓客參加了那場婚宴。
Dr. Okonkwo has published upwards of forty research papers on tropical diseases.
Okonkwo 醫生已發表不下四十篇關於熱帶疾病的學術論文。
upwards of + [number] after a verb of production
The Watanabe family have lived in this neighbourhood for upwards of sixty years.
渡邊家在這個社區已經住了至少六十年。
for + upwards of + [duration]
Temperatures in the desert reached upwards of forty-five degrees Celsius last week.
上週沙漠地區的氣溫超過了攝氏四十五度。
Sofia and her team raised upwards of fifteen thousand dollars for the local library renovation.
Sofia 和她的團隊為當地圖書館翻新募得了超過一萬五千美元。
raise + upwards of + [amount]
The new stadium can hold upwards of seventy thousand spectators for major matches.
這座新體育場最多可容納超過七萬名觀眾觀看大型比賽。
Bilal's food truck serves upwards of three hundred hungry customers every lunch hour.
Bilal 的餐車每個午餐時段供應超過三百位飢餓的顧客。
serve + upwards of + [number] + [noun]
- upwards of + [number/amount]
- cost upwards of
- reach upwards of
- hold upwards of
- raise upwards of
- upwards of a dozen
- upwards of [percentage]
- for + upwards of + [duration]
- more than
neutral and widely used in both speech and writing
- at least
emphasises the minimum; 'at least ten' could be exactly ten, but 'upwards of ten' suggests more than ten
- in excess of
formal register, common in legal and financial contexts
- over
shorter and more everyday; less precise about the minimum
- fewer than
used with countable nouns to indicate a lower number
- under
the opposite of 'over'; indicates a figure is below the stated amount
- less than
the direct opposite; indicates a smaller amount
文法句型
upwards of + [number/amount]
用法筆記
The phrase implies the real figure is probably higher than the stated minimum (e.g. 'upwards of 50 guests' suggests there were over 50). In American English it can also simply mean 'more than' without the extra implication of uncertainty. The variant 'upward of' (without the 's') is common in American English.