1
: an unaccented beat or portion of a beat in a musical measure
specifically
: the last beat of the measure
2
: an increase in activity or prosperity
business that is on the upbeat
: cheerful, optimistic
I'm feeling upbeat today
Synonyms
Examples of upbeat in a Sentence
Adjective
I like a story with an upbeat ending.
I tried to stay upbeat about losing the election.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mark Faithfull, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
In early episodes, The Brothers Sun plays like an upbeat, if somewhat uneven, buddy comedy.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Jan. 2024
Through the rooms the white minders come and go
with their upbeat and their bags of blood.
—Christian Wiman, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023
Payton, 59, back from a one-year sabbatical from coaching, is the same upbeat, cocksure soul who generated so much success, including a Super Bowl crown, during 15 seasons with the New Orleans Saints.
—Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY, 27 July 2023
The Frenchie did his part to keep every upbeat at the sweet picnic by performing a trick show and posing for plenty of photos.
—David Chiu, Peoplemag, 12 July 2023
The group then took the stage, impressing all four judges — Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofía Vergara — as well as the audience with their upbeat, perfectly in-sync performance.
—Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 14 June 2023
Fox is very adroit at remaining upbeat and keeping things light during our time together.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 11 May 2023
This upbeat musical, for people 3 and older, is based on reggae giant Bob Marley's endearing song and a related children's book by his daughter Cedella.
—Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2023
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
But on the eve of the election, the opposition party sounded more upbeat about its chances of winning a majority of seats than Mr. Yoon’s did.
—Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
But more often, she's seen charming guests with her upbeat, lighthearted personality.
—Erin Clements, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
The upbeat forecast comes after Samsung reported four straight quarters of declining profits, as demand for consumer devices and the chips that power them remained sluggish last year.
—Diksha Madhok, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Get an upbeat playlist going and venture out east for a good time that is practically guaranteed.
—Amy Louise Bailey, Vogue, 2 Apr. 2024
His upbeat demeanor and canny knowledge of the inside game of growing a company has benefited hundreds of startups.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2024
Pretty funny spoof of upbeat prescription drug commercials.
—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 31 Mar. 2024
Miami players had Sunday and Monday off, and according to Gressel, the mood in camp has been upbeat heading into the NYCFC game.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
Markets broadly welcomed the upbeat posting, with shares trading nearly 8% up year-to-date and up over 30% in the past 12 months.
—Mark Faithfull, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
In early episodes, The Brothers Sun plays like an upbeat, if somewhat uneven, buddy comedy.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Jan. 2024
Through the rooms the white minders come and go
with their upbeat and their bags of blood.
—Christian Wiman, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023
Payton, 59, back from a one-year sabbatical from coaching, is the same upbeat, cocksure soul who generated so much success, including a Super Bowl crown, during 15 seasons with the New Orleans Saints.
—Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY, 27 July 2023
The Frenchie did his part to keep every upbeat at the sweet picnic by performing a trick show and posing for plenty of photos.
—David Chiu, Peoplemag, 12 July 2023
The group then took the stage, impressing all four judges — Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofía Vergara — as well as the audience with their upbeat, perfectly in-sync performance.
—Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 14 June 2023
Fox is very adroit at remaining upbeat and keeping things light during our time together.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 11 May 2023
This upbeat musical, for people 3 and older, is based on reggae giant Bob Marley's endearing song and a related children's book by his daughter Cedella.
—Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2023
Adjective
Marlins players for their part have tried to stay upbeat despite their inability to win games.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
But on the eve of the election, the opposition party sounded more upbeat about its chances of winning a majority of seats than Mr. Yoon’s did.
—Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
But more often, she's seen charming guests with her upbeat, lighthearted personality.
—Erin Clements, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
The upbeat forecast comes after Samsung reported four straight quarters of declining profits, as demand for consumer devices and the chips that power them remained sluggish last year.
—Diksha Madhok, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Get an upbeat playlist going and venture out east for a good time that is practically guaranteed.
—Amy Louise Bailey, Vogue, 2 Apr. 2024
His upbeat demeanor and canny knowledge of the inside game of growing a company has benefited hundreds of startups.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2024
Pretty funny spoof of upbeat prescription drug commercials.
—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 31 Mar. 2024
Miami players had Sunday and Monday off, and according to Gressel, the mood in camp has been upbeat heading into the NYCFC game.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'upbeat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near upbeat
Cite this Entry
“Upbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upbeat. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
upbeat
1 of 2 noun
up·beat
ˈəp-ˌbēt 
: an unaccented beat in a musical measure
especially
: the last beat of the measure
upbeat
2 of 2 adjective
: optimistic, cheerful
a story with an upbeat ending
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