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

Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters Software stocks on Thursday slid deeper into an ongoing intense sell-off this year as investors recoiled from the sector on growing fears that artificial intelligence could upend many firms' business models. —Yun Li, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026

That relationship has been upended after the US capture of Venezuela’s leader. —CNN Money, 29 Jan. 2026

Over the past month, the arrival of more than 3,000 federal agents, as a part of Operation Metro Surge, has upended daily life for residents of the Twin Cities. —David Gleisner, Outside, 29 Jan. 2026

These systems are expanding the reach and capabilities of vessels at sea at lightning speed, upending existing definitions of aircraft carriers and making the ocean a vital testing ground for new technology. —Zita Ballinger Fletcher, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 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