upstate

noun

up·​state ˈəp-ˌstāt 

: the chiefly northerly sections of a state

also : the chiefly rural part of a state when the major metropolitan area is in the south

upstate

ˈəp-ˈstāt 

adverb or adjective

upstater

ˈəp-ˈstā-tər 

noun

Examples of upstate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The governor boasted that the new Belmont Park represents the bright future of the sport of horse racing, which has a significant footprint in New York with the 150-year-old Saratoga Race Course upstate. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026

For fright and fun in spades, this quaint upstate village always delivers. — Charley Ward, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2026

Sayo, a nightlife photographer and small-time drug dealer working the city’s sweaty underground club scene, is invited upstate by his long-time crush, Vince. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Sep. 2026

Barisone learned dressage during a middle-class childhood in far-upstate New York, and soon excelled at it. — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for upstate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

Kids Definition

upstate

adjective

up·​state ˈəp-ˌstāt 

: of, relating to, or typical of a part of a state away from a large city and especially to the north

upstate noun or adverb