upstate

noun

up·​state ˈəp-ˌstāt How to pronounce upstate (audio)
: the chiefly northerly sections of a state
also : the chiefly rural part of a state when the major metropolitan area is in the south
upstate adverb or adjective
upstater noun

Examples of upstate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But soon entrepreneurs trying to win legal licenses were sounding alarms, too; even Ms. Brewer’s own cousin, who had signed up to be a licensed grower upstate, gave her an earful. Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024 These are some of the countless rules that teens had to follow at Academy at Ivy Ridge, a disciplinary boarding institution that operated in upstate N.Y. between 2001 and 2009. TIME, 5 Mar. 2024 Since 2010, she’s been based upstate, away from the hustle and chaos. Suyin Haynes, CNN, 18 Feb. 2024 Trump’s team was organizing a fundraiser upstate, and Haley would soon be heading to her next meet-and-greet in the capital at Doc’s Barbeque. Danielle Paquette, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024 Farmers upstate were growing fields of licit marijuana! Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 In Truth’s upstate New York, wealthy Dutch American families flaunted their slaveholding privilege. Cynthia Greenlee, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024 Theo Harper and his pregnant wife, Darla, head upstate to their summer cottage to wait out the lockdown. Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 7 Feb. 2024 One more upstate favorite on social media was this Chic Log Cabin Eldred, New York, which came in with just over 4,600 likes. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 24 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'upstate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of upstate was in 1901

Dictionary Entries Near upstate

Cite this Entry

“Upstate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upstate. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

upstate

adjective
up·​state ˈəp-ˌstāt How to pronounce upstate (audio)
: of, relating to, or typical of a part of a state away from a large city and especially to the north
upstate noun or adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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