upstart
noun
a person who has risen suddenly from a humble position to wealth, power, or a position of consequence.
upstarts
-
present tense formof upstart (3rd person singular).present tense
Used to describe things happening now or regularly.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As high-school math students gear up to buy the newest version of Texas Instruments’ TI-84 graphic calculator, cheaper upstarts are trying to break the company’s decades-old grip on the market.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Yet the veterans refuse to surrender to the upstarts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Palantir’s CEO taps into Corporate America’s angst about the growing power of AI upstarts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
The design-software company has struggled to convince investors that its pricing model and artificial-intelligence offerings are enough to compete with cheaper upstarts, and Bank of America’s Tal Liani isn’t optimistic that sentiment will change.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
Because the least valued oil leases were offered first, the barons usually lingered in the back, leaving the initial bidding to upstarts.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
