: 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
The people who oppose it are folks who live upstate or don’t come in.
—
Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 15 Apr. 2025
In coincidental tandem, the families behind both enterprises, both of Jewish-immigrant origins and both interlopers from the provinces (the Shuberts from upstate, the Times clan from Tennessee), had been collectively responsible for colonizing Times Square since its birth.
—Frank Rich, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2025
After a financial setback, the couple decided to move upstate and begin again—right as the pandemic all but shut down the bridal industry.
—Adam Iscoe, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
The 344 people people held on Rikers Island are awaiting transfer upstate to either begin their sentences or return to continue their sentences, correction officials said Tuesday in a Board of Correction hearing.
—Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2025
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Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 15 Apr. 2025
In coincidental tandem, the families behind both enterprises, both of Jewish-immigrant origins and both interlopers from the provinces (the Shuberts from upstate, the Times clan from Tennessee), had been collectively responsible for colonizing Times Square since its birth.
—Frank Rich, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2025
After a financial setback, the couple decided to move upstate and begin again—right as the pandemic all but shut down the bridal industry.
—Adam Iscoe, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
The 344 people people held on Rikers Island are awaiting transfer upstate to either begin their sentences or return to continue their sentences, correction officials said Tuesday in a Board of Correction hearing.
—Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upstate
Cite this Entry
“Upstate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upstate. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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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