Phrase guide

up to eleven

prep_phrase · verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌʌp tə ɪˈlɛvən/
  • General-American: /ˌʌp tə ɪˈlɛvən/
  • General-American: /-əˈlɛvən/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛvən

1

prep_phrase

Meaning 1

Up to or beyond the maximum possible threshold; to an extremely high or strong degree.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: humorous, idiomatic, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: all the way, from soup to nuts, in excelsis, to the backbone, to the bone, to the brim, to the core, to the fullest, to the full, to the gills, to the gunnels, to the hilt, to the marrow, to the max, to the nines, to the nth degree, to the tonsils, to the top of one's bent, top to bottom, up to eleven

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To increase (something) to an extremely high or strong degree; to make (something) go over the top.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: slang, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

PIE word *h1óynos The term refers to a scene in the mockumentary This is Spinal Tap (1984), in which the character Nigel Tufnel, the lead guitarist of the band Spinal Tap, shows the director of the documentary Marty DiBergi a guitar amplifier with setting knobs that go from zero to eleven, rather than the standard zero to ten.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: överiksi — (informal, chiefly humorous) up to or beyond the maximum possible threshold; to an extremely high or strong degree
  • Polish: na ful — (informal, chiefly humorous) up to or beyond the maximum possible threshold; to an extremely high or strong degree
  • Spanish: extremo — (informal, chiefly humorous) up to or beyond the maximum possible threshold; to an extremely high or strong degree
  • Spanish: máximo — (informal, chiefly humorous) up to or beyond the maximum possible threshold; to an extremely high or strong degree
  • Finnish: panna överiksi — to increase (something) to an extremely high or strong degree
  • Polish: podkręcać na ful — to increase (something) to an extremely high or strong degree
  • Polish: podkręcić na ful — to increase (something) to an extremely high or strong degree
  • Spanish: llevar al extremo — to increase (something) to an extremely high or strong degree