up-and-coming

adjective

up-and-com·​ing ˌəp-ən(d)-ˈkə-miŋ How to pronounce up-and-coming (audio)
ˌəp-ᵊm-
: gaining prominence and likely to advance or succeed
an up-and-coming young actor
up-and-comer noun

Examples of up-and-coming in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
At the least, up-and-coming teams such as Cleveland — the Thunder, Magic and others — are going to have incredibly difficult decisions to make in the next couple of years about what parts of their current rotations are most worth preserving. David Aldridge, New York Times, 22 May 2025 In the first round of the playoffs, they were pushed to the brink of collapse by the up-and-coming Detroit Pistons, led by the big, fluid, democratic passer Cade Cunningham. Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 22 May 2025 While Silicon Valley heavyweights like Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz are still able to bring in big checks, up-and-coming VCs are finding fundraising increasingly difficult. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 22 May 2025 With Connolly’s death, Democratic leaders will now start the process of seating a permanent replacement, which is likely to be fiercely contested and could pit senior members against a newer crop of up-and-coming Democrats clamoring to rise quickly in the ranks. Mike Lillis, The Hill, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for up-and-coming

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of up-and-coming was in 1926

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Up-and-coming.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/up-and-coming. Accessed 30 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on up-and-coming

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!