Link Centre Dictionary

upstage

ups·tage

UK/ʌpˈsteɪd͡ʒ/ US/ʌˈpsteɪdʒ/ rare obsolete
adjective (2) adverb (1) verb (3)

adjective

1.

of the back half of a stage

  • “she crossed to the upstage chair forcing the lead to turn his back to the audience”
Antonyms
2.

remote in manner

  • “stood apart with aloof dignity”
  • “a distant smile”
  • “he was upstage with strangers”
Synonyms
Similar

adverb

1.

at or toward the rear of the stage

  • “the dancers were directed to move upstage”
Antonyms

verb

1.

treat snobbishly, put in one''s place

2.

move (another actor) upstage, forcing him to turn away from the audience

3.

steal the show, draw attention to oneself away from someone else

  • “When the dog entered the stage, he upstaged the actress”

Origin

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.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.