downstage
1 of 2adverb or adjective
down·stage
ˈdau̇n-ˈstāj 
1
: toward or at the front of a theatrical stage
2
: toward a motion-picture or television camera
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
Steven Vargas, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023
Barely acknowledging the applause and cheers, Shorter stepped to a conga downstage.
—Jon Garelick, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Mar. 2023
At the finale, the entire cast and both designers brought out chairs and posed as a group, Christmas-card style, downstage.
—Harper's BAZAAR, 3 Feb. 2023
At one point, there’s a misplaced spotlight, illuminating nobody, and a performer well downstage of it, looking at it like a member of the audience, regards the empty circle with something resembling suspicion.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 July 2022
The cast spends most of their time downstage, front and center.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2022
Tesshi Nakagawa’s scenic design focuses attention on the handsome downstage dining area.
—Charles McNultytheater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2022
There’s the stage with different acoustics upstage and downstage, the orchestra level seating area, under the balcony, which is an extremely deep area with a low ceiling, and the upper balcony.
—oregonlive, 27 Sep. 2021
The piece ends with a massive, rectangular plank, with a relatively small square cut out at one end, tipping over and toward associate artistic director and longtime company performer Cassandre Joseph, standing downstage.
—BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2021
See More
Noun
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
Barely acknowledging the applause and cheers, Shorter stepped to a conga downstage.
—Jon Garelick, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Mar. 2023
At the finale, the entire cast and both designers brought out chairs and posed as a group, Christmas-card style, downstage.
—Harper's BAZAAR, 3 Feb. 2023
At one point, there’s a misplaced spotlight, illuminating nobody, and a performer well downstage of it, looking at it like a member of the audience, regards the empty circle with something resembling suspicion.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 July 2022
The cast spends most of their time downstage, front and center.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2022
Tesshi Nakagawa’s scenic design focuses attention on the handsome downstage dining area.
—Charles McNultytheater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2022
There’s the stage with different acoustics upstage and downstage, the orchestra level seating area, under the balcony, which is an extremely deep area with a low ceiling, and the upper balcony.
—oregonlive, 27 Sep. 2021
The piece ends with a massive, rectangular plank, with a relatively small square cut out at one end, tipping over and toward associate artistic director and longtime company performer Cassandre Joseph, standing downstage.
—BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'downstage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near downstage
Cite this Entry
“Downstage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downstage. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share