upstage

1 of 4

adverb

up·​stage ˈəp-ˈstāj 

1

: toward or at the rear of a theatrical stage

2

: away from a motion-picture or television camera

upstage

2 of 4

adjective

up·​stage ˈəp-ˈstāj 

1

[upstage entry 3] : haughty

2

: of or relating to the rear of a stage

upstage

3 of 4

verb

up·​stage ˌəp-ˈstāj 

upstaged; upstaging; upstages

transitive verb

1

: to draw attention away from

upstaging the competition

2

: to force (an actor) to face away from the audience by staying upstage

3

: to treat snobbishly

upstage

4 of 4

noun

up·​stage ˈəp-ˌstāj 

: the part of a stage that is farthest from the audience or camera

Examples of upstage in a Sentence

Verb

We don't want the flower girl upstaging the bride.

My apple pie was upstaged by her chocolate cake.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Anne Egerman stood upstage, flitting through Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics in her lilting soprano. —Lila Battis, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2023

Will Dyanne upstage, or even replace, Jocelyn? Dan Levy is Jocelyn’s publicist Photo: Eddy Chen In a clip shared by Tesfaye, Levy’s character is seen trying to talk Jocelyn into doing a cover feature in Rolling Stone. —Jasmine Li, Vulture, 31 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

1870, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1918, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1921, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1931, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

upstage

1 of 2 adverb or adjective

up·​stage ˈəp-ˈstāj 

: toward or at the part of the stage or set farthest from the audience or the motion-picture or television camera

upstage

2 of 2 verb

up·​stage

ˌəp-ˈstāj

: to steal attention away from

children upstaging adult performers