upstage
/ʌpˈsteɪd͡ʒ/noun, adverb, adjective, verb
upstage is spelled U-P-S-T-A-G-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 62,894th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, upstage means “The part of a stage that is farthest from the audience or camera” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in upstage?
| Letters | 7: U-P-S-T-A-G-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 62,894th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is upstage?
Upstage appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 62,894th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce upstage?
- /ʌpˈsteɪd͡ʒ/
Upstage has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-upstage.ogg, En-au-upstage.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of upstage
- more upstage comparative
- most upstage superlative
- upstages present, singular, he/she/it
- upstaging participle, present
- upstaged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does upstage mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The part of a stage that is farthest from the audience or camera.
adverb
- 1
Toward or at the rear of a theatrical stage.
The actor turned and walked upstage.
- 2
Away from the audience or camera.
adjective
- 1
At the rear of a stage.
The minimalist play used no upstage scenery.
- 2
obsoleteHaughty, aloof.
verb
- 1
To draw attention away from others, especially on-stage.
She only wore that dress to upstage everyone.
- 2
To force other actors to face away from the audience by staying upstage.
- 3
To treat snobbishly.
- 4
To restage upward; to restage (a case of a disease, usually a cancer) to a higher stage than that found at last assessment.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Upstage in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to draw attention away from others:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | die Schau stehlen, in den Schatten stellen |
| Spanish | hacer sombra, opacar, ensombrecer |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).