upstart

1 of 2

verb

up·​start ˌəp-ˈstärt 

upstarted; upstarting; upstarts

intransitive verb

: to jump up (as to one's feet) suddenly

upstart

2 of 2

noun

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

upstart

ˈəp-ˈstärt 

adjective

Synonyms

Noun

• arriviste
• nouveau riche
• parvenu

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

Noun

Source: Coca-Cola Coca-Cola is launching a prebiotic soda brand called Simply Pop, taking on upstarts Olipop and Poppi. —Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2025

In that time, the finances and internal cohesion of that upstart Amazon Labor Union deteriorated. —Alina Selyukh, NPR, 15 Feb. 2025

Around then an upstart sports drink company called Barcode started hatching a plan to land Wembanyama as a partner. —Tania Ganguli, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025

Now, businesses that rely on those clicks are scrambling to find new ways to lure users by adjusting their marketing strategies and even allying with AI upstarts hoping to dethrone the search giant. —Richard Nieva, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for upstart

• apart
• depart
• flowchart
• forepart
• impart
• pushcart
• rampart
• redstart
• restart
• subpart
• sweetheart
• art

Kids Definition

upstart

noun

up·​start

ˈəp-ˌstärt

: a person who has risen suddenly (as from a low position to wealth or power)

especially : one who makes a great show of success