upstage

C2+ Topic:Mind & Cognition

US /ʌpˈsteɪdʒ/ UK /ʌpˈsteɪdʒ/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to draw attention away from another, especially to outshine them

The understudy managed to upstage the lead with a single dazzling solo.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to draw attention away from... outshine overshadow eclipse outdo steal surpass dominate

Word family

Related forms stage up

Etymology

A compound of up plus stage; from the theatrical practice of an actor moving to the rear (upper) part of the stage, forcing others to turn their backs to the audience.

up Middle English estage Old French

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# upstage

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ʌpˈsteɪdʒ/
**IPA (UK):** /ʌpˈsteɪdʒ/

## Meanings
1. to draw attention away from another, especially to outshine them

## Examples
- The understudy managed to upstage the lead with a single dazzling solo.

## Synonyms
- outshine
- overshadow
- eclipse
- outdo
- steal
- surpass
- dominate

## Related Forms
- stage
- up

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: up
- Root: estage

## Etymology
A compound of up plus stage; from the theatrical practice of an actor moving to the rear (upper) part of the stage, forcing others to turn their backs to the audience.

## AI Etymology
Upstage is a compound of up plus stage; from the theatrical practice of an actor moving to the rear (upper) part of the stage, forcing others to turn their backs to the audience. In current use it is a verb, adjective, and adverb meaning "to draw attention away from another, especially to outshine them". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The historical chain includes Old English up and Old French estage. Related English forms include stage and up. The word's history is thus visible in its construction: the components remain interpretable even after the whole expression has settled into a conventional English meaning.

## Topics
- Mind & Cognition

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upstage

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