downstage

1 of 2

adverb or adjective

down·​stage ˈdau̇n-ˈstāj 

1

: toward or at the front of a theatrical stage

2

: toward a movie or television camera

downstage

2 of 2

noun

down·​stage ˈdau̇n-ˌstāj 

: the part of a stage that is nearest the audience or camera

Examples of downstage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

No, this song is all about the build, and that fierce runway stomp downstage is only the penultimate phase of it all. — Glen Weldon, NPR, 14 May 2026

Can anyone ever shake us to the core the way Brando did simply by walking downstage eating an apple? — Ty Burr, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024

With a high chain-link fence awkwardly shoving much of the action to a thin strip downstage, the first act takes place outside a factory making weapons, rather than the libretto’s cigarettes. — Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2024

For example, as Mowgli prepared to shoot a bow and arrow, the moments learning how to do so with her mother were projected onto a downstage screen. — Steven Vargas, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb Or Adjective

1793, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1931, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for downstage

• assuage
• backstage
• bocage
• engage
• enrage
• leafage
• messuage
• offstage
• onstage
• outrage
• pelage
• prophage

Kids Definition

downstage

adverb or adjective

down·​stage

ˈdau̇n-ˈstāj

: toward or at the part of a theatrical stage or set closest to the audience or the motion-picture or television camera