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

Plus, for the WNBA players competing in this upstart league, Unrivaled offers an opportunity to bank significant offseason income, in the United States. —Sean Gregory, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025

Tech giants like Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, and smaller upstarts have long been pushing virtual reality headsets. —Kate Conger, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2025

The franchise endured three wretched seasons before emerging as upstarts in 2022 and winning the American League East in 2023. —The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024

These Chinese upstarts are no longer content to become dominant at home. —Rafael Nam, NPR, 24 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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