upstart

1 of 2

verb

up·​start ˌəp-ˈstärt 

upstarted; upstarting; upstarts

intransitive verb

: to jump up (as to one's feet) suddenly

upstart

2 of 2

noun

up·​start ˈəp-ˌstärt 

1

: one that has risen suddenly (as from a low position to wealth or power) : parvenu

especially : one that claims more personal importance than is warranted

2

: a start-up enterprise

upstart

ˈəp-ˈstärt 

adjective

Synonyms

Noun

• arriviste
• nouveau riche
• parvenu

Examples of upstart in a Sentence

Noun

a young upstart from Harvard who thinks he knows more than the boss

having made their money in oil decades ago, they consider these billionaire dot-commers mere upstarts

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Greenberg successfully sought $1.5 million in upstart costs from the Louisville Metro Council, which approved that funding in June, despite one council member voting against the budget after raising concerns about LEDA. —Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 17 July 2024

But Boyd tapped into anti-establishment fervor at the district's party endorsement convention in April, where the delegates decided against formally endorsing any candidate — a move Boyd deemed a victory for his upstart campaign. —Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2024

Defense tech upstart Anduril Industries raised $1.5 billion in new venture capital funding at a $14 billion valuation, with some proceeds to be used for building autonomous weapon manufacturing facilities. —Dan Primack, Axios, 8 Aug. 2024

This time around, Google is the industry leader, AI is the new platform, and upstarts like OpenAI are vying to take the initiative. —Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 7 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

upstart

noun

up·​start

ˈəp-ˌstärt

: a person who has risen suddenly (as from a low position to wealth or power)

especially : one who makes a great show of success