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

• 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

Amidst the rise of the internet, online streaming has quickly become the primary source of consumption for music fans, upending the sale of physical media over the course of the last 25 years. —Jim Ryan, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025

The online world spawned new information sources and influencers, changed news consumers’ tastes and habits and upended the advertising market on which newspapers relied. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2025

Like several others, Duncan pointed to the most recent STAAR scores as a sign that the district is headed in a good direction, and worries a takeover would upend that progress. —Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Aug. 2025

Yet deficits at the city, county and state, in addition to rapid changes in federal policy, have upended what funding service providers can rely on. —Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Aug. 2025

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