Idioms

be upon

be upon (one)

1. To be one's responsibility or obligation. It will be upon our PR team to come up with an exciting way to advertise this product. The obligation to provide evidence is upon the prosecution. I know he doesn't want to part with this old camera, so, if you really want it, it's upon you to convince him.
2. To be forced or imposed on one, as of some catastrophe. If the two countries don't stop this antagonistic back-and-forth, nuclear war could be upon us! A plague has been upon the region for several years. Millions have died. We need to get out of here—the hurricane will be upon this area by nightfall.
3. To be looming or have recently begun. Let's meet soon—once the back-to-school rush is upon us, we won't have any free time. Even though I know winter is upon us, I still can't believe it got so cold so fast! Get ready for a lot of family drama now that the holiday season is upon us!
See also: upon
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

be upon

v.
To be imminent or just beginning to have an effect on someone or something: Winter is upon us, so we'd better be ready to shovel lots of snow.
See also: upon
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
See also:
References in periodicals archive
The glorious majesty of the Lord our God be upon us.
Women's words for the 40 days: prayers for your weekly Lenten journey from seven fellow travelers
The point is not how well Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) treated women and what rights they have "under Islam." Nor is the point how badly Jews were treated in non-Muslim land s centuries or decades ago and how comparatively well they were treated in Muslim lands.
The cave allusion is to the Flight of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) to Madinah.
To whom shall we give Access to Our Water Holes?
As I read the line "Let his blood be upon us and upon our children" with the rest of the assembly, it triggered a reaction that has remained with me ever since: I didn't mean those words, and it seemed unsuitable that the rite should lead me to speak them.
"Crucify him!"
They knew that while many curious eyes would be upon them, they would be left alone except for the inevitable wire collection basket thrust into their faces.
Make room for "behind the pillar" Catholics
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