up·start
ˈəp-ˌstärt 
1
: one that has risen suddenly (as from a low position to wealth or power) : parvenu
especially
: one that claims more personal importance than is warranted
2
: a start-up enterprise
Examples of upstart in a Sentence
Noun
a young upstart from Harvard who thinks he knows more than the boss
having made their money in oil decades ago, they consider these billionaire dot-commers mere upstarts
Recent Examples on the Web
Britt Julious, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025
Still, Mamdani, a progressive upstart with a history of pro-Palestinian activism, is on course to become the first Muslim mayor of the nation's largest city.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Then there is the upstart turned elder statesman of the group, A24.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2025
There were also new services that were graphics-only, like Prodigy, a cooperation between IBM and Sears, and an upstart that had sprung from the ashes of a Commodore 64 service called Quantum Link.
—ArsTechnica, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for upstart
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Noun
Founded in Chicago in 2003, the primarily reissue label has grown from a confident upstart to a seasoned veteran.
—Britt Julious, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025
Still, Mamdani, a progressive upstart with a history of pro-Palestinian activism, is on course to become the first Muslim mayor of the nation's largest city.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Then there is the upstart turned elder statesman of the group, A24.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2025
There were also new services that were graphics-only, like Prodigy, a cooperation between IBM and Sears, and an upstart that had sprung from the ashes of a Commodore 64 service called Quantum Link.
—ArsTechnica, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for upstart
Cite this Entry
“Upstart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upstart. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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