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

Matt Lennox paced Carver with 16 points and Amare Santos chipped in 15 as the Crusaders upended Westport, 56-50, in nonleague action. —Brian Roach, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026

Season 14 also got its first wildcard contestant, with Crane entering the competition and promptly upending things. —Jillian Sederholm, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Jan. 2026

But few industries have mastered it as quickly as the biggest tech companies, which need more from Washington than ever as their marquee innovation, artificial intelligence, becomes an engine for growth in the US economy and threatens to upend every part of daily life. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026

If the tools become too good, all of scientific publishing could be upended. —Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 22 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