top·sy-tur·vy
ˌtäp-sē-ˈtər-vē 
1
: in utter confusion or disorder
2
: with the top or head downward : upside down
: turned topsy-turvy : totally disordered
Examples of topsy-turvy in a Sentence
Adjective
the office is still topsy-turvy even though we moved in months ago
Recent Examples on the Web
Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
The Boston Celtics have certainly had a topsy-turvy offseason, as they have been forced to part ways with numerous key pieces from their 2024 championship team due to financial constraints.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 7 Sep. 2025
The documentary, a small-town cyberbullying case that resulted in an FBI investigation, tells the topsy-turvy story in a way that leaves you questioning almost every person involved.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2023
Pinsker’s characters always make the best of tricky situations, which only makes their struggles in her topsy-turvy worlds more heartbreaking.
—Charlie Jane Anders, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for topsy-turvy
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Adverb
This map would turn topsy-turvy if MLB chose Austin or Mexico City as expansion cities — or chose no expansion cities out west, and two in the east.
—Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
The Boston Celtics have certainly had a topsy-turvy offseason, as they have been forced to part ways with numerous key pieces from their 2024 championship team due to financial constraints.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Observer writers predict Carolina Panthers season opener Fowler and Zietlow split last year’s predictor title, which was pretty incredible considering how topsy-turvy last year was and how differently their predictions went week to week.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 7 Sep. 2025
The documentary, a small-town cyberbullying case that resulted in an FBI investigation, tells the topsy-turvy story in a way that leaves you questioning almost every person involved.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
Within that film’s topsy-turvy multiverse, Quan was by turns a laundromat owner on the verge of divorcing his wife, a dashing romantic lead and an action hero.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2023
Pinsker’s characters always make the best of tricky situations, which only makes their struggles in her topsy-turvy worlds more heartbreaking.
—Charlie Jane Anders, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for topsy-turvy
Cite this Entry
“Topsy-turvy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/topsy-turvy. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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