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
Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
Currently in beta with around 50 developers, from big game studios to indie upstarts, QA Co-AI is set to launch globally via AWS Marketplace by the end of this year.
—John Kang, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
So despite industry complaints that surfaced during the coronavirus pandemic and the rise of a group of rival upstarts that have struck a series of measurement pacts with advertisers, media agencies and TV companies, Nielsen’s work remains the sector standard.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
In a year of big investments into upstarts that might one day rival DraftKings and FanDuel, Novig’s model raises different regulatory questions than those surrounding $2 billion venture capital darling Kalshi, another prediction market currently in a legal fight with New Jersey and other states.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upstart
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Noun
Grisham’s novel tells the story of Rudy Baylor, a fresh-out-of-law-school upstart who stumbles onto the case of a lifetime.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
Currently in beta with around 50 developers, from big game studios to indie upstarts, QA Co-AI is set to launch globally via AWS Marketplace by the end of this year.
—John Kang, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
So despite industry complaints that surfaced during the coronavirus pandemic and the rise of a group of rival upstarts that have struck a series of measurement pacts with advertisers, media agencies and TV companies, Nielsen’s work remains the sector standard.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
In a year of big investments into upstarts that might one day rival DraftKings and FanDuel, Novig’s model raises different regulatory questions than those surrounding $2 billion venture capital darling Kalshi, another prediction market currently in a legal fight with New Jersey and other states.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 19 Aug. 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 10 Sep. 2025.
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