: the chiefly northerly sections of a state
also
: the chiefly rural part of a state when the major metropolitan area is in the south
Examples of upstate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Meanwhile Hochul is pushing nuclear upstate.
—
Manna Jo Greene, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
The twins last fall committed to play collegiately at Colgate University in upstate New York, two time zones and about 1,725 miles east.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
Batchelor brought Ruzicka into the NYC Ska Orchestra for a performance upstate last May.
—Daniel Yadin, Curbed, 11 Feb. 2026
Before skeleton, Florian was a two-time All-American Alpine ski racer at Clarkson University in upstate New York.
—Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for upstate
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Manna Jo Greene, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
The twins last fall committed to play collegiately at Colgate University in upstate New York, two time zones and about 1,725 miles east.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
Batchelor brought Ruzicka into the NYC Ska Orchestra for a performance upstate last May.
—Daniel Yadin, Curbed, 11 Feb. 2026
Before skeleton, Florian was a two-time All-American Alpine ski racer at Clarkson University in upstate New York.
—Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for upstate
Cite this Entry
“Upstate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upstate. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
upstate
adjective
up·state
ˈəp-ˌstāt 
: 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
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