upend

verb

up·​end ˌəp-ˈend 

upended; upending; upends

transitive verb

1

: to set or stand on end

also : overturn sense 1

upended the bucket to use as a stool

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 of upend

• defeat
• overcome
• master
• take
• beat
• worst
• conquer
• get
• best
• stop

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

Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to stalking charges in the 2024 ambush killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a move that could upend a looming state murder trial. — Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026

New research is beginning to quantify just how much the introduction of the Falcon 9 rocket, the adoption of reuse, and the vehicle’s high cadence have upended the global launch market. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026

Because if the Protocol upends the REC market with precisely imprecise requirements almost no one is ready to meet, investors will be able to compute the hit to companies’ bottom line. — Mike Feibus, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026

But that could potentially be upended by the federal conviction. — Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for upend

• amend
• append
• ascend
• attend
• backend
• befriend
• boyfriend
• commend
• compend
• contend
• defend
• depend

Kids Definition

upend

verb

up·​end ˌə-ˈpend 

: to set, stand, or rise on end