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
Definition of upstage
Recent Examples of upstage from the Web
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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.
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
Definition of upstage
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
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
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That was the main, not-particularly-surprising takeaway from Ryan’s CNN town hall on Monday night, an event that Trump upstaged with his last-minute decision to deliver an address to the nation on Afghanistan.
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To let this color take center stage in your home, pair it with Sherwin Williams' Storm Cloud SW 6249, Special Gray SW 6277 and Sea Salt SW 6204, which are all complimentary of Stardew, but won't upstage it.
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This intimate and cozy black-and-blue-toned restaurant in Portland’s Northeast neighborhood is dedicated to organic, biodynamic, and additive-free wines and the minimalist veg-forward small plates that won’t upstage them.
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Affleck's Batman will return just in time to be wildly upstaged by Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman in Justice League later this year.
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The bearded, portly Johnston entertained the crowd at last year's Open, nearly upstaging a tremendous duel between Phil Mickelson and eventual winner Henrik Stenson in the final round before finishing eighth.
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It's considered an attempt to upstage the bride, and no amount of turquoise can cover that.
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Trudeau is 45, Varadkar is 38—was marked, in part, by a light-hearted moment in which the Irish premiere upstaged his Canadian counterpart by showing off a pair of flashy socks.
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Mike Rowbottom for Inside the Games: Van Niekerk upstages Bolt, while other rivals await in London.
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
1921
Definition of upstage
:the part of a stage that is farthest from the audience or camera
Recent Examples of upstage from the Web
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So why did director Rebecca Martinez and scenic designer Daniel Meeker choose to place the set as far upstage as possible, creating a gulf of about 10-feet between the actors and the audience?
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Simons’ script follows the serials, with sections from the black-and-white film shown on an upstage screen.
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The individual elements of Derek McLane’s scenic design for the New Group’s tragicomedy are, for the most part, perfectly effective, such as the upstage wall of windows that evoke endless opportunities for eavesdropping.
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One Butler sighting led me to JusMoni, a dreamy, slightly psychedelic funk-soul singer with Stasia Irons (formerly of THEESatisfaction) upstage, DJing on her laptop.
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Seiwert makes ingenious use of slits in the black upstage curtain.
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Periodically, Dave Chappelle gooses the audience by dropping the microphone to his body, doubling over, laughing and running upstage.
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
circa 1931
UPSTAGE Defined for English Language Learners
upstage
play
adverb
Definition of upstage for English Language Learners
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: toward the back part of a stage
upstage
play
verb
Definition of upstage for English Language Learners
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: to take attention away from (someone or something else, such as another performer)
Learn More about upstage
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up upstage? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
