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
George Avalos, Mercury News, 25 Nov. 2025
Was the rock ‘n’ roll spiritual-son-of-Richard Pryor comedy upstart actually shy?
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
These days, even industry leaders like Nike are struggling to hold on to their market share in the face of upstarts like On and Hoka, which have been wooing top athletes and winning over a new generation of customers.
—Alex Sherman,gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC, 13 Nov. 2025
And with consumers increasingly using AI to make purchases, stalwarts like Amazon and Google are defending their turf against upstarts like OpenAI and Perplexity.
—Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upstart
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Noun
Along with the expanding upstarts, Silicon Valley’s bellwethers appear to be on solid and strengthening ground.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 25 Nov. 2025
Was the rock ‘n’ roll spiritual-son-of-Richard Pryor comedy upstart actually shy?
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
These days, even industry leaders like Nike are struggling to hold on to their market share in the face of upstarts like On and Hoka, which have been wooing top athletes and winning over a new generation of customers.
—Alex Sherman,gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC, 13 Nov. 2025
And with consumers increasingly using AI to make purchases, stalwarts like Amazon and Google are defending their turf against upstarts like OpenAI and Perplexity.
—Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 13 Nov. 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 1 Dec. 2025.
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