upend

verb

up·​end ˌəp-ˈend 

upended; upending; upends

transitive verb

1

: to set or stand on end

also : overturn sense 1

2

a

: to affect to the point of being upset or flurried

a … literary shocker, designed to upend the credulous matrons

—Wolcott Gibbs

b

: defeat, beat

intransitive verb

: to rise on an end

Synonyms

• beat
• best
• conquer
• defeat
• dispatch
• do down [British]
• get
• get around
• lick
• master
• overbear
• overcome
• overmatch
• prevail (over)
• skunk
• stop
• subdue
• surmount
• take
• trim
• triumph (over)
• win (against)
• worst

Examples of upend in a Sentence

He upended the bicycle to fix its flat tire.

I upended the bucket to use as a stool.

The security inspector upended my bag and dumped everything out.

A giant wave upended the surfers.

The midfielder was upended before he got the ball.

Recent Examples on the Web

The migration crises faced by both European countries have upended their politics and underscored the often-deadly nature of journeys in the Mediterranean Sea. —Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 30 May 2024

In the weeks after the Supreme Court’s ruling, its effect has upended the practices of family physicians around the state who provide gender-affirming care recommended by U.S. medical associations. —Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 16 May 2024

That’s up from 22% in December 2022 and 15% in September 2019, before the pandemic upended the economy, AIA says. —Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 15 May 2024

But in Hamas’s calculus, the deaths of many Palestinian civilians — who do not have access to Hamas’s subterranean tunnels — were the necessary cost of upending the status quo with Israel. —Adam Rasgon, New York Times, 12 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

upend

verb

up·​end ˌə-ˈpend 

: to set, stand, or rise on end