1
as in to defeat
to achieve a victory over
the team won the division play-offs, but was upended in the final championship game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to erect
to fix in an upright position
we had to upend the sofa in order to fit it into the elevator
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of upend
Elsewhere, the bond between Phil (Adrian Holmes) and Geoffrey (Jimmy Akingbola) faces an unexpected rupture, hinting at a power shift that threatens to upend the foundation of the Banks household.
—
Okla Jones, Essence, 4 Nov. 2025
Told from four different perspectives, the book is a family dramedy about a young man with Down Syndrome, his parents and his teenaged sister — and how their lives are upended when Hollywood decides to adapt their story into a film.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 4 Nov. 2025
Biographer Margret Lea agrees to help Vida tell her final tale — a pursuit that upends them both.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
Women were encouraged to take action against men who had allegedly harmed them — often upending their lives in the process — only to find that the financial and emotional relief in coming forward might be ephemeral at best, nonexistent at worst.
—Victoria Bekiempis, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upend
Okla Jones, Essence, 4 Nov. 2025
Told from four different perspectives, the book is a family dramedy about a young man with Down Syndrome, his parents and his teenaged sister — and how their lives are upended when Hollywood decides to adapt their story into a film.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 4 Nov. 2025
Biographer Margret Lea agrees to help Vida tell her final tale — a pursuit that upends them both.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
Women were encouraged to take action against men who had allegedly harmed them — often upending their lives in the process — only to find that the financial and emotional relief in coming forward might be ephemeral at best, nonexistent at worst.
—Victoria Bekiempis, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upend
Verb
-
Pelosi retires and Dems begin generational civil war Nancy Pelosi, 85, announced her retirement yesterday as a new generation of much younger Democrats bridles against the elderly cadre under former President Biden, 82, who led them to defeat in the last presidential election.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
-
He and Democrat Rebecca Cooke may be headed for a rematch in 2026, after Van Orden defeated Cooke in 2024.—
Molly Beck,
jsonline.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The tent was a remnant of the structures erected by the United Nations High Command for Refugees to provide shade for migrants, Dumasá said.—
Daniel Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The end of a building erected in the 1940s?—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Among those highlighted will be Amanda, a refugee and the first Miss Trans Global Uganda; Sarah, who overcame sight loss to support LGBTQ+ people with disabilities while running marathons; and Leo, a speaker and life coach with dyskinetic cerebral palsy.—
Sophie Williams,
Billboard,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Fortunately, modern nandina cultivars like 'Lemon-Lime' from the Southern Living Plant Collection have been bred to overcome these problems.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Someone who is unable to work in mainstream punditry because his face no longer fits, but is determined to raise standards among those who do as an outside agitator.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Yet Tapestry—the parent company of Coach—said Gen Z now accounts for roughly 35% of its new customers, helping the brand beat Wall Street expectations and raise its full-year forecast.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Engineers in the United States are making serious efforts to ensure that humanoid robots master self-balancing and offer precision in conducting multiple types of tasks.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Jonathan Bailey has mastered the art of capturing hearts.—
Julie Jordan,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Back in 2006, the restoration work of Taihedian (Hall of Supreme Harmony), the largest building in the palace, took less than two years.—
Fred He,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Standing in the way of technology development is not a good look for the Democratic Party, but demanding that tech companies foot the bill for the need to modernize, upgrade and massively expand utility electricity generation would be a good position to take.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The discussion came as Robinhood posted third quarter results that beat analyst expectations for both revenue and earnings.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
-
That figure, which is provided by payrolls processing company ADP, beat the Dow Jones consensus estimate for an increase of 22,000.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Having conquered the pop world with ease, Rosalía is now embracing difficulty.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Toyota may be struggling against Tesla in the global EV sweepstakes, but Hello Kitty is conquering the world.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Upend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upend. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share