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

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

And upstart brands looking to grow are settling for lower margins and cutting marketing budgets in hopes they can attract new shoppers with price tags that start with a nine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Recall that a young upstart by the name of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez unseated New York Rep. Joseph Crowley, a powerful 10-term incumbent and chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026

Even with a much more concealing mask, she would have recognized the upstart.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

Irving will be going up against a bevy of other legal AI upstarts and the major AI developers themselves as well as established firms, each of which have been charting their own futures with AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 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

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

Ormat’s market cap is modest compared with shinier energy upstarts, at around $8 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026

Masters of power politics, engineers of genius, the Mexica were also upstarts and pretenders, arrivistes who falsely claimed a brilliant line of descent.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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

From Time Magazine Archive

And the hard rocks upstarted From the sand make the couch where he lies, Thy Krishna, sad-hearted.

From Indian Poetry Containing "The Indian Song of Songs," from the Sanskrit of the Gîta Govinda of Jayadeva, Two books from "The Iliad Of India" (Mahábhárata), "Proverbial Wisdom" from the Shlokas of the Hitopadesa, and other Oriental Poems. by Sir Edwin Arnold

XLV From their seats upstarted the lords and all the band; The bear flew into fury; straight gave the king command The hounds to uncouple, and slip them on the prey.

From The Nibelungenlied Revised Edition by Unknown

Instantly upstarted Lyubim Tsarevich, put on his armour, and leaped upon his steed.

From The Russian Garland being Russian Folk Tales by J. R. de Rosciszewski

And the Prophetess 28 inspired By her God, upstarted now,— Toward the smoke of homesteads fired, Looking from the lofty prow.

From The Poems of Schiller — Third period by Friedrich Schiller

Be that word our sign of parting,   Bird or fiend," I shrieked, upstarting; "Get thee back into the tempest     And the night's Plutonian shore!

From McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader by William Holmes McGuffey

But now upstarting with affright At noise of man and steed, Away they fly, to left, to right— Of your fair household, father-knight, Methinks you take small heed!

From The Children's Garland from the Best Poets by Coventry Kersey Dighton Patmore

Here! 'tis time you were departing, bird or not," I cried, upstarting; "Get you back unto the Carlton, they on parrot-cries set store.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 99, August 23, 1890 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

Then excuse me, we'll be parting, doleful fowl," I cried, upstarting; "Get thee back to—the Red River, or the Nile's sand-cumbered shore!

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 101, October 31, 1891 by Sir F. C. (Francis Cowley) Burnand