Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

upstage

/ʌpˈsteɪd͡ʒ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.35 in modern English

Syllables
up-stage
IPA
/ʌpˈsteɪd͡ʒ/
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The part of a stage that is farthest from the audience or camera.

Uncountable

adv

Toward or at the rear of a theatrical stage.

adv

Away from the audience or camera.

adj

At the rear of a stage.

adj

Haughty, aloof.

Obsolete

verb

To draw attention away from others, especially on-stage.

Transitive verb

verb

To force other actors to face away from the audience by staying upstage.

Transitive verb

verb

To treat snobbishly.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

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.

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

more upstage (comparative) most upstage (superlative) upstages (present, singular) upstaging (participle, present) upstaged (participle, past) upstaged (past)

Derived Forms

upstager

Frequently Paired Words

center stage downstage stage left stage right

Synonyms

airy arrogant chesty authoritarian biggity big-headed blustery turgescent boastful lordly bombastic buggish

Antonyms

downstage

Rhymes With

age under-age page stage wage engage cage rage gauge sage backstage paige

Questions

How do you pronounce upstage?
The recorded pronunciation is /ʌpˈsteɪd͡ʒ/.
What does upstage mean?
The part of a stage that is farthest from the audience or camera.
Where does upstage come 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.

How to pronounce upstage

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “upstage”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ʌpˈsteɪd͡ʒ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “upstage”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “upstage” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.