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upstage

Pronunciation: /ʌpˈsteɪd͡ʒ/

The English word “upstage” has 9 meanings listed here.

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.
  2. Away from the audience or camera.

adjective

  1. At the rear of a stage.
  2. Haughty, aloof.

verb

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

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.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.