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
Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 25 Apr. 2024
Unveiled at the Frankfurt International Motor Show on September 12, 1963, the six-cylinder upstart came to market a year later.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2024
With Stroud coming off a stellar debut season in the NFL, having a cast of dynamic options should make his life easier as the Texans look to transition from upstarts to Super Bowl hopefuls.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
The firm makes up one upstart in a burgeoning industry that harnesses AI to draw eyeballs and drive revenue in the lucrative business of social media.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2024
Earlier this month, the NIL upstart welcomed a new man by her side, if only to escort her on Senior Day.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
But it was built on the skeleton of a soap, with Alex in the role of aging diva and Witherspoon’s firebrand Bradley Jackson as a younger upstart.
—TIME, 14 Mar. 2024
Much of that trend owes thanks to Astera Labs and Reddit— an AI upstart and established social media company, and two of the biggest IPOs of the year so far, raising a cumulative $1.5 billion.
—Laura Bratton, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
In the 1964 election, Unruh supported Gaffney over upstart challenger Brown, who was backed by the political machine of then-San Francisco Assemblyman Phillip Burton.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Noun
At a time when the conventional wisdom is increasingly that the generative AI boom is only further consolidating the power and market dominance of America’s largest technology companies, the go-it-alone effort by the Canadian upstart represents a stark counterpoint.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 25 Apr. 2024
Unveiled at the Frankfurt International Motor Show on September 12, 1963, the six-cylinder upstart came to market a year later.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2024
With Stroud coming off a stellar debut season in the NFL, having a cast of dynamic options should make his life easier as the Texans look to transition from upstarts to Super Bowl hopefuls.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
The firm makes up one upstart in a burgeoning industry that harnesses AI to draw eyeballs and drive revenue in the lucrative business of social media.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2024
Earlier this month, the NIL upstart welcomed a new man by her side, if only to escort her on Senior Day.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
But it was built on the skeleton of a soap, with Alex in the role of aging diva and Witherspoon’s firebrand Bradley Jackson as a younger upstart.
—TIME, 14 Mar. 2024
Much of that trend owes thanks to Astera Labs and Reddit— an AI upstart and established social media company, and two of the biggest IPOs of the year so far, raising a cumulative $1.5 billion.
—Laura Bratton, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
In the 1964 election, Unruh supported Gaffney over upstart challenger Brown, who was backed by the political machine of then-San Francisco Assemblyman Phillip Burton.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'upstart.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near upstart
Cite this Entry
“Upstart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upstart. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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