How to Use upstage in a Sentence

upstage

verb
  • We don't want the flower girl upstaging the bride.
  • My apple pie was upstaged by her chocolate cake.
  • Some might even say the ‘fits risk upstaging the cast.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Gordon’s work on the mound might have been upstaged by the men who relieved him.
    — Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 16 Aug. 2025
  • This prom-worthy pile of sequins will upstage every full-length gown in the room.
    — Hannah Oh, Seventeen, 22 Nov. 2022
  • Trask will have a chance at the next level to upstage the Gators’ legendary trio.
    — Edgar Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, 2 Apr. 2021
  • Only the world’s biggest movie star could upstage her own movie with each fearsome scowl.
    — Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 15 Oct. 2019
  • Some suggest the host's celebrity shouldn't upstage the players and their race to win cash.
    — Lynette Rice, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2021
  • After decades of being upstaged by the lobes, the rest of the ear is ready for its glow-up moment.
    — Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2024
  • But then Prince tried to upstage hip-hop by singing into a microphone shaped like a gun.
    — Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 7 June 2026
  • The showroom dummies upstage the humans, but also stand in for them.
    — Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2021
  • Kennedy needed something to regain his stature on the world stage, and upstage Khrushchev.
    — Francis French, Smithsonian, 20 July 2019
  • Not one of them upstages Shakira, who’s playful or raw as each moment demands.
    — Jon Pareles, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
  • The humor doesn’t upstage the gardening, though.
    — ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Don’t upstage it, but turn to it to find colors to pull out for large, upholstered pieces and accessories.
    — Marni Jameson, orlandosentinel.com, 23 July 2021
  • Their owners remain hidden underneath, dry and out of sight, upstaged by their vivid canopies.
    — Christian House, CNN, 22 Feb. 2024
  • With its bold proportions, the model was able to upstage slimmer quartz models.
    — Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 7 May 2021
  • Much of the propulsive energy of the first season came from the cousins’ efforts to upstage each other.
    — Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2023
  • Hooded gowns could upstage sheer dresses as the hottest red-carpet trend in 2023.
    — Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 6 Dec. 2022
  • Ballas almost did his job too well; Conner just about upstaged his popular wife on the dance floor.
    — Lynette Rice, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Rapsody might be the only rapper ever to upstage Kendrick Lamar on his song.
    — cleveland, 8 June 2020
  • Vance also bristled at the fact that her character had to downplay her own beauty so as not to upstage Ball.
    — Weldon B. Johnson, The Arizona Republic, 8 Dec. 2021
  • And was there any hesitation that the characters' jewels would upstage the royals in a scene?
    — Stellene Volandes, Town & Country, 29 Sep. 2019
  • In the television age, image is king, and both men are desperate to out-talk and upstage each other as the cameras roll.
    — courant.com, 8 Nov. 2019
  • But as of the past year, the BBQ has been upstaged by the second-to-last weekend of June.
    — Detroit Free Press, 23 June 2019
  • But if there has been a feud, not upstaging Kate in the matter of tiaras could be one way Hanbury is trying to keep the peace.
    — Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 6 June 2019
  • As an adult, Franklin would upstage her older sister Erma, robbing her of her chance in the spotlight.
    — Neal Justin, Star Tribune, 19 Mar. 2021
  • In Florida and across the country, Key lime pie is upstaging the classics.
    — Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2025
  • The tangy citrus pie is upstaging the classics in Florida and many other parts of the country.
    — Nila Do Simon, Southern Living, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The only wedding guest who can upstage the newlyweds (and get away with it) is Beyoncé.
    — Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 5 July 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'upstage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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