Synonyms
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
In all likelihood, then, the current crop of variants won’t upend our equilibrium.
—
Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2023
The ordeal, which ended with the Brazilian’s capture early Wednesday near a tractor store about 18 miles from the prison, upended the lives of area residents.
—Emily Wax-Thibodeaux, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023
And yet, with UPI, the government upended expectations.
—Maju Kuruvilla, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2023
People are also primed to expect surprises from the virus, and each new variant brings with it unknowns: Will this one upend our lives again?
—Carolyn Y. Johnson, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Sep. 2023
That leaves Decatur and Cullman to fight it out for the remaining spot - though upsets later in the season could upend this scenario. ...
—al, 12 Sep. 2023
Ongoing labor strikes have upended the TV season, but there are plenty of good new shows coming to air and streaming
Hollywood has been in limbo these last few months.
—Nina Metz, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023
An all-too-brief moment of logical thinking is upended the second the chugging guitar kicks back in.
—Jessica Gentile, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2023
Local developers and landowners, along with the city staff, argued tighter regulations would be too costly, would thwart development and upend the city’s housing and employment goals.
—Gwozniac, oregonlive, 1 Sep. 2023
See More
Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2023
The ordeal, which ended with the Brazilian’s capture early Wednesday near a tractor store about 18 miles from the prison, upended the lives of area residents.
—Emily Wax-Thibodeaux, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023
And yet, with UPI, the government upended expectations.
—Maju Kuruvilla, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2023
People are also primed to expect surprises from the virus, and each new variant brings with it unknowns: Will this one upend our lives again?
—Carolyn Y. Johnson, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Sep. 2023
That leaves Decatur and Cullman to fight it out for the remaining spot - though upsets later in the season could upend this scenario. ...
—al, 12 Sep. 2023
Ongoing labor strikes have upended the TV season, but there are plenty of good new shows coming to air and streaming
Hollywood has been in limbo these last few months.
—Nina Metz, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023
An all-too-brief moment of logical thinking is upended the second the chugging guitar kicks back in.
—Jessica Gentile, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2023
Local developers and landowners, along with the city staff, argued tighter regulations would be too costly, would thwart development and upend the city’s housing and employment goals.
—Gwozniac, oregonlive, 1 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'upend.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1823, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near upend
Cite this Entry
“Upend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upend. Accessed 24 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
upend
verb
up·end
ˌə-ˈpend 
: to set, stand, or rise on end
More from Merriam-Webster on upend
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share