up·start
ˈəp-ˌstärt 
1
: one that has risen suddenly (as from a low position to wealth or power) : parvenu
especially
: one that claims more personal importance than is warranted
2
: a start-up enterprise
Examples of upstart in a Sentence
Noun
a young upstart from Harvard who thinks he knows more than the boss
having made their money in oil decades ago, they consider these billionaire dot-commers mere upstarts
Recent Examples on the Web
Dan Greene, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Private equity swooped in for many, snatching up mattress company Casper, athleisure brand Outdoor Voices, women’s fashion upstart Reformation and jewelry retailer Catbird.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
And then there’s a number of smaller upstarts such as LMNT and Unwell Hydration from podcaster Alex Cooper.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 13 May 2026
And another launch upstart, Rocket Lab, is trying to nab smaller launch contracts that previously would have gone to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 with its own Electron and soon-to-debut Neutron rockets.
—Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for upstart
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Noun
There are draftniks at ESPN and NBC and the Athletic but also at niche upstarts like Draft Diamonds and Draft Nerds and DraftNasty.
—Dan Greene, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Private equity swooped in for many, snatching up mattress company Casper, athleisure brand Outdoor Voices, women’s fashion upstart Reformation and jewelry retailer Catbird.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
And then there’s a number of smaller upstarts such as LMNT and Unwell Hydration from podcaster Alex Cooper.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 13 May 2026
And another launch upstart, Rocket Lab, is trying to nab smaller launch contracts that previously would have gone to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 with its own Electron and soon-to-debut Neutron rockets.
—Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for upstart
Cite this Entry
“Upstart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upstart. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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