upstage

adverb up·stage \ ˈəp-ˈstāj \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 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

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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

Kayleigh quickly realizes what the 3-year-old's doing and begins to laugh, all while the happily engaged couple is oblivious to Owen upstaging their big moment.

— nicole darrah, Fox News, "Michigan boy, 3, embarrasses parents by turning proposal video into 'peeposal'," 14 May 2018
Trudeau, accustomed to being praised for his Prince Charming good looks, is getting a lot of flak on his tour of India, and the latest gags focus on his razzle-dazzle wardrobe, upstaging even India's flamboyant movie stars.

— vidhi doshi, Washington Post, "India to Justin Trudeau: Stop trying so hard," 23 Feb. 2018
Since the release of Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s surprise joint album, Everything Is Love, President Donald Trump and his staff have been working furiously to try to upstage the duo.

— stephen a. crockett jr., The Root, "Trump Couldn’t Let Beyoncé and Jay-Z Live, Announces Summit With Russian President Vladimir Putin," 28 June 2018
That’s where blocking the citizenship route for DACA recipients upstages construction of the wall.

— chad pergram, Fox News, "Proposed DACA pathway complicates border wall funding," 25 June 2018
In the white light of a hospital labor and delivery floor, the placenta is quickly upstaged by the squalling, trembling infant it has successfully nurtured and delivered.

— tara shafer, Redbook, "I Lost a Baby at 33 Weeks — Now I'm Fighting to Spare Others the Same Pain," 19 June 2018
Edinson Cavani upstaged Cristiano Ronaldo, first with his head and then with his right foot, and sent Uruguay to the World Cup quarterfinals.

— tim booth, chicagotribune.com, "Edinson Cavani scores twice as Uruguay ousts Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal," 30 June 2018
The Duke of Cambridge was effectively upstaged at the event by his adorable progeny, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

— cady lang, Time, "The Most Adorable Princess Charlotte and Prince George Moments at Prince William's Polo Match," 11 June 2018
Will it be forever upstaged by the headlines about the wildfires?

— david patrick stearns, Philly.com, "Philadelphia Orchestra ends its contentious Israel tour with a Jerusalem concert, and some soul searching," 5 June 2018

First Known Use of upstage

1921

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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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

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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

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upstage

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First Known Use of upstage

upstage

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Recent Examples of upstage from the Web

First Known Use of upstage

upstage

Definition of upstage

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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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