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
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
Seth Emerson, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
The Kim sisters have taken over the Flynns’ company, ENCOM, while bratty upstart Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) runs Dillinger Systems under the watchful, but ultimately powerless, eye of his mother (Gillian Anderson).
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Oct. 2025
The good news is the Buccaneers still have two young upstarts who are leading the way.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
An upstart named Ronin just broke Magawa’s record at only five years old by uncovering 109 landmines.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upstart
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Noun
Actually … For all the newfound parity, there’s a plausible scenario where the same three SEC teams that made last year’s CFP (Texas, Georgia and Tennessee) make it again, along with Alabama, which is not exactly an upstart.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
The Kim sisters have taken over the Flynns’ company, ENCOM, while bratty upstart Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) runs Dillinger Systems under the watchful, but ultimately powerless, eye of his mother (Gillian Anderson).
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Oct. 2025
The good news is the Buccaneers still have two young upstarts who are leading the way.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
An upstart named Ronin just broke Magawa’s record at only five years old by uncovering 109 landmines.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upstart
Cite this Entry
“Upstart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upstart. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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