upstart

1 of 2

verb

up·​start ˌəp-ˈstärt 

upstarted; upstarting; upstarts

intransitive verb

: to jump up (as to one's feet) suddenly

upstart

2 of 2

noun

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

upstart

ˈəp-ˈstärt 

adjective

Synonyms

Noun

• arriviste
• nouveau riche
• parvenu

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

Noun

SpaceX, once seen as an upstart, has flown 13 crews to orbit in total. —Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 5 June 2024

Ishida’s seen it all and surely his fair share of young upstarts bucking for the throne over the years. —Andy Andersen, Vulture, 22 Feb. 2024

This month, the right-wing upstarts replaced the CDU as the second-largest party in Merkel’s home state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. —Thorsten Benner, Foreign Affairs, 26 Sep. 2016

Season 2 sees the band wrestle with the trappings of micro-fame: Gen Z upstarts are stealing their schtick, industry insiders are circling, there’s a constant hum of social media commentary in the background, and the pressure to earn money just keeps mounting. —Judy Berman, TIME, 30 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

upstart

noun

up·​start

ˈəp-ˌstärt

: a person who has risen suddenly (as from a low position to wealth or power)

especially : one who makes a great show of success