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

Rising costs upended its business model. —Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 2 May 2026

Those plans were derailed after the war triggered a spike in jet fuel prices, upending Spirit's cost projections and complicating its exit from bankruptcy. —David Shepardson, USA Today, 1 May 2026

Spirit based its turnaround plan on lower fuel costs, but a surge in fuel prices tied to the Iran war upended those assumptions. —Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2026

The war has since upended the bank’s predictions and wider global economic forecasts as the price of oil and other costs have spiked sharply higher. —ABC News, 30 Apr. 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