upstage

adverb up·stage \ ˈəp-ˈstāj \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Examples: upstage in a Sentence

Definition of upstage

1 : toward or at the rear of a theatrical stage

2 : away from a motion-picture or television camera

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First Known Use of upstage

1870

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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upstage

adjective

Definition of upstage

[³upstage]

: haughty

2 : of or relating to the rear of a stage

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Recent Examples of upstage from the Web

An original page from a 1974 edition of The Pittsburgh Press, an afternoon paper published from 1884 to 1992, is taped to the backside of the upstage door.

— erik piepenburg, New York Times, "Inside the ‘Jitney’ Set: Picturing Pittsburgh Onstage," 9 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'upstage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of upstage

1918

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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upstage

verb up·stage \ ˌəp-ˈstāj \

Definition of upstage

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

See upstage defined for English-language learners

Examples of upstage in a Sentence

We don't want the flower girl upstaging the bride.
My apple pie was upstaged by her chocolate cake.

Recent Examples of upstage from the Web

The couple reportedly wanted to avoid upstaging the newlyweds on their big day.

— caroline picard, Good Housekeeping, "Who Are Pippa Middleton and James Matthews?," 19 May 2018
HP’s Envy x360 15 just has to upstage the Envy x360 13, by offering Intel Core processors as well as the AMD Ryzen mobile chips that are the sole choice for its smaller sibling.

— melissa riofrio, PCWorld, "HP’s Envy x360 15 lets you choose between Intel and AMD," 14 May 2018
The 20-year-old Norwegian hasn't won on the World Cup circuit this season and upstaged the gold medal favorites on the eve of the normal hill final.

— USA TODAY, "The Latest: Luge win keeps Germany atop gold medal standings," 12 Feb. 2018
Barega upstages Chelimo in the Pre Classic 2-Mile Emmanuel Korir takes some contact in stride en route to victory in the Pre Classic 800.

— ken goe, OregonLive.com, "On Sam Kendricks, Hayward Field nostalgia and the Pre Classic: Oregon track & field rundown," 26 May 2018
Moon has been upstaged by separate summits between Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which were seen as strengthening the positions of both countries ahead of the Kim-Trump talks.

— Washington Post, "Moon shines as he drives diplomacy with Pyongyang," 11 May 2018
The only thing missing from the opener was Jay-Z upstaging the hip-hop violinist act at halftime to perform the actual song himself.

— sam amick, USA TODAY, "No Steph Curry, no problem: Warriors make statement with 22-point Game 1 win over Pelicans," 29 Apr. 2018
The top-billing of Casey Mize vs. Brady Singer largely lived up to expectations but was ultimately upstaged by another future first-round MLB Draft pick.

— tom green, AL.com, "Jonathan India steals spotlight from pitching duel as Auburn drops opener vs. No. 1 Florida," 27 Apr. 2018
The focus is mostly on how Fitzgerald’s friendship with Marilyn Monroe helped her career, and the movie star, alas, upstages the singer.

— rumaan alam, New York Times, "Children’s Books About Black History, Heavy on Biographies," 2 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of upstage

1921

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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upstage

noun up·stage \ ˈəp-ˌstāj \

Definition of upstage

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

Recent Examples of upstage from the Web

With a floor of honey brown and an upstage wall like a minimalist Kandinsky, the stage is bare at the start and filled piece by piece with chairs and long wooden tables: for reading at, for dancing on, for dying at.

— laura collins-hughes, New York Times, "Review: Pulled Apart by ‘Love and Intrigue’," 8 June 2018
The orchestra of seven musicians lurks upstage, just as music often lurks in memory; the lighting by Thom Weaver is happily subtle.

— toby zinman, Philly.com, "'Fun Home' at the Arden: Quiet brilliance, lovely and profound," 24 May 2018
The set has also been placed far upstage, suggesting Gunner’s receding tide of sanity.

— mike fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Man with dementia faces the endgame in 'Outgoing Tide'," 25 Feb. 2018
The references to illumination are of the moon, quite literally, with a round, orangey orb rising on the upstage scrim throughout the work's 25 minutes.

— lauren warnecke, chicagotribune.com, "In rare performance, choreographer Doug Varone takes to stage along with his dancers at Columbia," 9 Feb. 2018
Media: Hartford Curant Class of 2018 students went upstage in front of the supporting crowd and signed their name on a white poster with their school logo.

— kaila contreras, Houston Chronicle, "Signing day not just for athletes for Summer Creek High School seniors," 25 Apr. 2018
And, finally, there’s an upstage hallway (visible through a glass wall) featuring a huge logo of the school’s mascot: a bravely grinning tiger who wants to be ferocious but instead looks declawed and powerless.

— mike fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Teachers battle the odds and get their due in Forward Theater's 'Exit Strategy'," 20 Jan. 2018
Rose’s set is built around an upstage loggia with an overhead walkway and stairs that lead down to the marketplace.

— jeffrey gantz, BostonGlobe.com, "Boston Ballet elevates Cranko’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’," 16 Mar. 2018
Shoes: Numerous pairs of shoes against the upstage wall give an early hint of how many characters each actor will inhabit.

— mike fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Windfall Theatre's 'Stones in His Pockets' has too many holes," 10 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of upstage

circa 1931

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

UPSTAGE Defined for English Language Learners

upstage

adverb

Definition of upstage for English Language Learners

: toward the back part of a stage

upstage

verb

Definition of upstage for English Language Learners

: to take attention away from (someone or something else, such as another performer)

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upstage

Definition of upstage

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upstage

Definition of upstage

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First Known Use of upstage

upstage

Definition of upstage

Examples of upstage in a Sentence

Recent Examples of upstage from the Web

First Known Use of upstage

upstage

Definition of upstage

Recent Examples of upstage from the Web

First Known Use of upstage

UPSTAGE Defined for English Language Learners

upstage

Definition of upstage for English Language Learners

upstage

Definition of upstage for English Language Learners

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