upstage
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upstage
- /ʌpˈsteɪd͡ʒ/
Rhymes with -eɪdʒ
Where it comes from
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.
noun
- The part of a stage that is farthest from the audience or camera.
adverb more upstage · most upstage
- Toward or at the rear of a theatrical stage. The actor turned and walked upstage.
- Away from the audience or camera.
adjective more upstage · most upstage
- At the rear of a stage. The minimalist play used no upstage scenery.
-
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.’
Similar: airy, arrogant, chesty, authoritarian, biggity, big-headed, blustery, turgescent, boastful, lordly, bombastic, buggish
verb upstages · upstaging · upstaged
-
To draw attention away from others, especially on-stage.
She only wore that dress to upstage everyone.
Similar: eclipse, overshadow
- To force other actors to face away from the audience by staying upstage.
- To treat snobbishly.
-
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.
Opposite: downstage
Translations
Every language
verb to draw attention away from others
| Español | hacer sombra, opacar, ensombrecer |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 搶風頭 /抢风头 qiǎng fēngtóu |
| Deutsch | die Schau stehlen, in den Schatten stellen |
| Русский | затмевать zatmevatʹ |
Talk about this word "upstage." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/upstage. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. upstage. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/upstage "upstage." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/upstage.Cite this
@misc{upstage_2026,
title = {upstage},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/upstage},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
