upstart

American  

[uhp-stahrt, uhp-stahrt] / ˈʌpˌstɑrt, ʌpˈstɑrt /

noun

1. a person who has risen suddenly from a humble position to wealth, power, or a position of consequence.

2. a presumptuous and objectionable person who has so risen; parvenu.

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adjective

1. being, resembling, or characteristic of an upstart.

verb (used without object)

• upstarts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• upstarted,
  past participle,  past
• upstarting
  present participle

1. to spring into existence or into view.

2. to start up; spring up, as to one's feet.

verb (used with object)

• upstarts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• upstarted,
  past participle,  past
• upstarting
  present participle

1. to cause to start up.

upstart British  

noun

1. 1. a person, group, etc, that has risen suddenly to a position of power or wealth

   2. ( as modifier )

      an upstart tyrant

      an upstart family

2. 1. an arrogant or presumptuous person

   2. ( as modifier )

      his upstart ambition

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verb

1. archaic (intr) to start up, as in surprise, etc

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• upstartness
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• upstarting
  present
• upstarted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• upstart
  simple
• upstarts
  simple
• have upstarted
  perfect
• has upstarted
  perfect
• am upstarting
  progressive
• are upstarting
  progressive
• is upstarting
  progressive
• have been upstarting
  perfect progressive
• has been upstarting
  perfect progressive

Past

• upstarted
  simple
• had upstarted
  perfect
• was upstarting
  progressive
• were upstarting
  progressive
• had been upstarting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will upstart
  simple
• will have upstarted
  perfect
• will be upstarting
  progressive
• will have been upstarting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of upstart

1275–1325; Middle English (v.); see up-, start

Explanation

An upstart is someone who's cocky and arrogant, and who doesn't show much respect for other people. There are many ways of starting up trouble — one is by being an upstart. Upstarts are people who are full of themselves and dismissive of others. Often, an upstart is a young person or newcomer. A new employee who acts like he knows more than everyone else is an upstart. An arrogant rookie on a sports team is an upstart. In the 1500s, upstart and start-up were both used to mean the same thing, "one newly risen in importance."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

upstart upstarts upstarted upstarting

He said that polling conducted by upstart organizations is not necessarily bad, but that the people conducting it don’t necessarily have the training or expertise of more established outfits.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

At $20 billion, the upstart app now has a higher valuation than some long-established retailers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Because if the Panthère ring is the established icon, the Panthère sunglasses are the fresh upstart.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

The former Escape factory is now filling up with a $30,000 all-electric pickup by Ford, designed to match the high-tech offerings from upstart Chinese competitors, which are gaining market share around the world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

In medical school I have been befriended by an upstart neurologist, who believes I am acting out a great lifelong falsehood.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Scale gives a massive edge to one-time upstarts like Vanguard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

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

Instead, many chose self-proclaimed upstarts from opposite ends of the political spectrum: Republican reality TV star Spencer Pratt and democratic socialist City Councilmember Nithya Raman.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

In the closing seconds of overtime on Monday night, the young upstarts were down by three, on the road against the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

I go with one of the young English upstarts and choose a slightly exaggerated, magnificently tailored suit that emphasizes my new, waspy figure.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

In an industry where guerrilla tactics pay off, Kahn upstarted the upstarts.

From Time Magazine Archive

Further inside the heart of the city upstarted the intoxications of sin and the terrible beggars with their maimed children.

From Memories of Hawthorne by Rose Hawthorne Lathrop

Then labor came next, and the conflict began With monsters and beasts famed in song; And heroes upstarted, as rulers of man, And the weak sought the aid of the strong.

From The Poems of Schiller — Third period by Friedrich Schiller

With hands hard-clenched The King upstarted: thus his voice rang out: 'Beware, who gave ill counsel to their King!

From Legends of the Saxon Saints by Aubrey De Vere

And in this:— "Ghastly amazement! with upstarted hair, Shall hurry on before, and usher us, Whilst trumpets clamor with a sound of death."

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 20, No. 122, December, 1867 by Various

The thrush, upstarting in the distant dell, Shook its brown wing, with golden streaks array’d, And ap’d the witch-notes, as they rose and fell.

From Romantic Ballads, Translated from the Danish; and Miscellaneous Pieces by George Henry Borrow

It was the signal for a general upstarting from the table, a pushing back of chairs, a gathering around Elizabeth Cornish.

From Black Jack by Max Brand

No; one of the firemen remained to watch over it, and guard against the upstarting of any sneaking spark that might have managed to conceal itself.

From Fighting the Flames by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne

Then had wrath More dreadful, some strange vengeance on the Gods From Jove befallen, had not Minerva, touch'd With timely fears for all, upstarting sprung150 From where she sat, right through the vestibule.

From The Iliad of Homer Translated into English Blank Verse by William Cowper by William Cowper

The little barefooted guide, the sick woman with her 'young goodness' and 'your ladyship,' now this upstarting knight.

From Wych Hazel by Susan Warner