Meaning & use
higher-ups
Last updated
Meaning
nounpluralinformal
The people who have the most power or authority in an organization or group.
Grammar: Always plural; takes a plural verb, e.g. 'The higher-ups have decided.'
Patterns
- the higher-ups
- the higher-ups in something
- report to the higher-ups
- the higher-ups decide something
The higher-ups in the company approved the new budget.
She sent the report to the higher-ups for final approval.
The higher-ups have decided to close the branch.
Common combinations
- the higher-ups in the company
- The higher-ups in the company are meeting today.
- report to the higher-ups
- You should report this problem to the higher-ups.
- the higher-ups decide
- Ultimately, the higher-ups decide who gets promoted.
- the higher-ups at headquarters
- The higher-ups at headquarters want to see the sales figures.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bosses
- More direct and less formal; it can refer to any level of manager, not just the most powerful.
- management
- More formal and neutral; it often refers to the group as a whole rather than individuals.
- senior officials
- More formal and often used for government or large organizations.
Opposites
Word family
- higher-up noun
- Singular form, used for one person, e.g. 'He is a higher-up in the finance department.'
Practice
The employees were told to wait for a decision from the ______.
Choose one answer.
The plural 'higher-ups' is the standard form for referring to the group of top people. 'Higher-up' is singular and would need 'a' before it; 'higher ups' without a hyphen is a common misspelling, and 'higher up' is an adverb meaning 'further above'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “higher-ups”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.