upstage
UK/'ʌp'steidʒ/US
GREC2
Definitions
v.
To divert attention from someone toward oneself; to outshine
抢……的风头；盖过……的光彩
adj.
At or toward the back of a theatre stage
舞台后部的
adv.
Toward the back of the stage
向舞台后部
Root Breakdown
Root-deriveduproot
+
stagestand, set, place
=upstage
up + stage. On a raked Victorian stage, the back was higher ('up'). An actor moving upstage forced others to turn their backs to the audience to face them — literally stealing the scene. That theatrical trick became the everyday verb: to upstage someone is to grab the attention they deserved.
Why It Means This
Stage here is the st-family word for a 'standing place' (where a play stands and is performed). The verb's modern 'steal the spotlight' sense is a frozen snapshot of a real stagecraft maneuver.
Common Collocations
- 1.upstage someone抢某人风头
- 2.try to upstage试图抢风头
- 3.get upstaged被抢了风头
Example Sentences
- 1.
The young actress completely upstaged the veteran lead.
- 2.
He hates being upstaged at his own party.