Navigation
Home
Resources
Irregular verbs quizzes English conjugator English-French dictionary French dictionary English dictionary Monolingual dictionaries Scores by institution Free sample tests FAQ Pricing Tourism training Blog Videos
Login Sign up
Blog
Videos
Pricing
FR EN

upstage

noun, adv, adj and 1 more — 9 senses

upstage

noun

/ʌpˈsteɪd͡ʒ/

Etymology From up- + stage. The figurative uses “haughty” and “to draw attention away” derive from actors moving to a higher and thus more visible position on a sloped stage.

1

Entertainment, Lifestyle, Theater The part of a stage that is farthest from the audience or camera.

upstage

adv

Etymology From up- + stage. The figurative uses “haughty” and “to draw attention away” derive from actors moving to a higher and thus more visible position on a sloped stage.

1

Toward or at the rear of a theatrical stage.

  • The actor turned and walked upstage.
2

Away from the audience or camera.

upstage

adj

Etymology From up- + stage. The figurative uses “haughty” and “to draw attention away” derive from actors moving to a higher and thus more visible position on a sloped stage.

1

At the rear of a stage.

  • The minimalist play used no upstage scenery.
2

Figuratively, Obsolete Haughty, aloof.

  • If she hasn't time for this or that, if she refuses to make or keep appointments, if her face does not greet all comers with a sweet and charming smile, then the word is passed around that ‘So-and-So is getting high-hat and up-stage.’1929 December, Betty Boone, “The Price of this Stardom”, in Screenland, page 22:

upstage

verb

Etymology From up- + stage. The figurative uses “haughty” and “to draw attention away” derive from actors moving to a higher and thus more visible position on a sloped stage.

1

Figuratively To draw attention away from others, especially on-stage.

  • She only wore that dress to upstage everyone.
  • Although constantly upstaged by Miss Moore's vocal flings, Cary Grant brought the appropriate note of light comedy to his role.1973, Jerry Vermilye, Cary Grant, New York: Galahad Books, →ISBN, page 56:
2 more examples
  • Ronald Reagan’s peace plan for Nicaragua, which would have worked to his domestic political advantage even if it had failed, is upstaged by a surprise initiative by five Central American countries.1987 August 17, “Peace Moves”, in Newsweek, volume 60, number 7, page 1:
  • The romance and spectacle of the Olympics have been upstaged by the reality of the Olympics; both the Summer Games and the Winter Games are now as much big business as they are sport.1996, Dave Anderson, The story of the Olympics, New York: W. Morrow, →ISBN, page 10:
2

Entertainment, Lifestyle, Theater To force other actors to face away from the audience by staying upstage.

3

Broadly To treat snobbishly.

4

Medicine, Sciences To restage upward; to restage (a case of a disease, usually a cancer) to a higher stage than that found at last assessment.

  • Almost one-third of patients were upstaged after re-exploration, three-quarters of whom actually had stage III disease.1999, “Mismanagement of ovarian cancer by laparoscopy and laparotomy”, in Laparoscopic surgery in gynaecological oncology, Blackwell Science, →ISBN:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

Learn more