Man Upstairs Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

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man upstairs

noun

Phrases the man upstairs or the Man Upstairs informal : god As luck, fate, or the man upstairs would have it, the storm subsides by morning.—Steve Howe Even though these people may execute me, they have to meet the man upstairs too.—Elvis Wesbrook … parachuting or hang gliding can send you soaring heavenward … sooner than the Man Upstairs is expecting you.—Melissa Gotthardt

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler The first known use of man upstairs was in 1943 See more words from the same year

Rhymes for man upstairs

• billionaires
• delawares
• legionnaires
• luminaires
• millionaires
• questionnaires
• thoroughfares
• unawares
• affaires
• affairs
• armchairs
• bulgars

See All Rhymes for man upstairs

Browse Nearby Words

man up man upstairs manurable See all Nearby Words

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“Man upstairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/man%20upstairs. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.

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