virtually upon

USAGE SUMMARY

"virtually upon" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to indicate that something is almost or nearly at a specific point in time or space. Example: "The meeting began virtually upon his arrival." Alternative expressions include "almost at" and "nearly at."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Encyclopedias

Academic

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

But by that time, I suspect, the election itself will be virtually upon us.

The Economist

Whether it's the Rift or the Vive that eventually breaks through to the mass market, however, one thing seems clear: the future is virtually upon us.

Independent

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

When supplied with oxidative substrates – especially succinate – permeabilized ground squirrel liver tissue displayed robust respiratory control, with rapid and substantial increases in oxygen consumption upon addition of ADP that were virtually eliminated upon addition of oligomycin (supplementary material Fig. S1).

Biology Open

Second, virtually unremarked upon with all eyes in the east, several hundred French soldiers are deployed in Bamako to protect French citizens – of whom there are reportedly some 6,000 in Mali, of whom expatriates are a minority (press: please note).

The Guardian

But how do you make any money?" This is the automatic response of virtually everyone upon learning that I run a nonprofit Web site -- a dot-org -- devoted to local history.

The New York Times

"These people tend to be driven by a sense of a duty to God to answer every call for help from anybody, and they are virtually called upon all the time, 24/7".

The New York Times

Detour, American low-budget crime drama that was virtually ignored upon its initial release in 1945 but was later championed by film critics and such directors as Martin Scorsese as one of the high points of the film noir genre.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Ms. James's piece is spot-on in its portrayal of heterosexual actors being praised for acting gay in mainstream Hollywood movies, not only confirming the stance that "you don't have to be one to play one" but virtually insisting upon it.

The New York Times

A bioassay using Culex pipiens larvae revealed that the mosquitocidal activity was virtually lost upon replacement of loop2.

Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering

For pulses designed according to this symmetry, refocusing phase errors are virtually eliminated upon application of EXORCYCLE or an equivalent G 180°S−BURBOP G gradient sandwich, independent of resonance offset and RF inhomogeneity.

Journal of Magnetic Resonance

Without his Bible to quote from, he has virtually nothing upon which to base his claim that homosexuality is wrong.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In scientific or technical writing, place "virtually" before the verb and "upon" after it (e.g., 'virtually eliminated upon treatment') to quantify the scale of a reaction triggered by a specific event.

Common error

Avoid using "virtually upon" if the event has already fully started. Virtually implies it is almost but not 100% there. If a deadline has passed, it is no longer virtually upon you; it is simply upon you.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "virtually upon" functions as an adverbial intensifier modifying a prepositional relationship. According to Ludwig, it is most frequently used to describe temporal proximity (imminence) or a direct causal result in scientific contexts. The adverb 'virtually' serves to qualify the preposition 'upon' by suggesting 'near-totality' or 'practical equivalence'.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

45%

Science

35%

Encyclopedias

10%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Social Media

3%

Formal & Business

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "virtually upon" is a robust and sophisticated tool in the English language, used primarily to signal that something is imminent or that a reaction is nearly total. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and wide applicability across various fields. In journalistic writing, it adds a sense of urgency to events that are <a href="/s/nearly+at+hand" target="_blank" rel="alternative">nearly at hand, such as elections or deadlines. In scientific discourse, it often appears in the structure 'virtually [verb] upon [noun]' to describe a state change that occurs almost entirely at the moment of a specific trigger. Writers should favor this phrase when they need to combine emphasis with factual precision, as it acknowledges a small margin of difference while focusing on the overwhelming proximity or effect.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

nearly upon

Direct synonym with slightly less emphasis on the functional aspect

almost here

More informal and strictly temporal

just about to

A simpler verbal construction for imminent actions

practically at hand

Focuses on the immediate availability or presence of something

imminently approaching

More formal and emphasizes the movement toward a point

all but arrived

An idiomatic way to express that something has effectively started

effectively immediate

Used when the impact is felt right at the moment of contact

well-nigh upon

A more literary or archaic variation of nearly upon

essentially starting

Focuses on the functional beginning rather than proximity

nearing completion

Used specifically for processes that are almost finished

FAQs

How to use "virtually upon" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe an approaching event, such as "The holiday season is <a href="/s/virtually+upon" target="_blank" rel="alternative">virtually upon us", or a scientific reaction like "The signal was virtually lost upon adding the catalyst".

What does "virtually upon us" mean?

It means that an event is <a href="/s/almost+here" target="_blank" rel="alternative">almost here or nearly starting. It suggests that while it hasn't technically arrived, for all practical purposes, it has begun.

Is "virtually upon" formal?

Yes, it is considered <a href="/s/formal+English" target="_blank" rel="alternative">formal English and is frequently used in journalism (The Economist) and academic research papers.

Can I say "almost here" instead of "virtually upon"?

Yes, <a href="/s/almost+here" target="_blank" rel="alternative">almost here is a great conversational alternative, while "virtually upon" adds a touch of sophistication or technical precision.