upset

verb

up·set | \ (ˌ)əp-ˈset

upset; upsetting

Definition of upset

(Entry 1 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to thicken and shorten (something, such as a heated bar of iron) by hammering on the end : swage

2 : to force out of the usual upright, level, or proper position : overturn

3a : to trouble mentally or emotionally : disturb the poise of the news upset me

b : to throw into disorder

c : invalidate

d : to defeat unexpectedly was upset in the primary

4 : to cause a physical disorder in specifically : to make somewhat ill spicy food upsets my stomach

intransitive verb

: to become overturned

upset the apple cart

: to disturb or overturn a natural or stable order

upset

noun

up·set | \ ˈəp-ˌset

Definition of upset (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : an act of overturning : overturn

2a(1) : an act of throwing into disorder : derangement

(2) : a state of disorder : confusion

b : an unexpected defeat

3a : a minor physical disorder a stomach upset

b : an emotional disturbance went through a big upset after his father's death

4a : a part of a rod (such as the head on a bolt) that is upset

b : the expansion of a bullet on striking

upset

adjective

up·set | \ (ˌ)əp-ˈset

Definition of upset (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : emotionally disturbed or agitated was too upset to speak to him

2 : affected with minor physicial disturbance or disorder an upset stomach

Other Words from upset Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about upset

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Choose the Right Synonym for upset

Verb

discompose, disquiet, disturb, perturb, agitate, upset, fluster mean to destroy capacity for collected thought or decisive action. discompose implies some degree of loss of self-control or self-confidence especially through emotional stress. discomposed by the loss of his beloved wife disquiet suggests loss of sense of security or peace of mind. the disquieting news of factories closing disturb implies interference with one's mental processes caused by worry, perplexity, or interruption. the discrepancy in accounts disturbed me perturb implies deep disturbance of mind and emotions. perturbed by her husband's strange behavior agitate suggests obvious external signs of nervous or emotional excitement. in his agitated state we could see he was unable to work upset implies the disturbance of normal or habitual functioning by disappointment, distress, or grief. the family's constant bickering upsets the youngest child fluster suggests bewildered agitation. his declaration of love completely flustered her

Examples of upset in a Sentence

Verb

That remark you made really upset me. Don't upset yourself over it. It upsets him that he can do nothing to help. A lot of people were upset by the court's decision. It upsets me to think I might never see him again. Spicy food upsets my stomach.

Noun

In a major upset, he took the gold medal. Her victory in the election was a big upset. Spicy foods can cause stomach upset. An emotional upset can affect your physical health. a period of emotional upset

Adjective

I was feeling upset by the whole experience. There's no point in getting all upset about it. I try not to let her make me upset. She was too upset to speak to him. I'm upset that you didn't call. I was so upset with him, I didn't call him for two weeks.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

You might be more easily upset by little things that usually don't ruffle your feathers. — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive.com, "Horoscope for July 9, 2019: Happy birthday Pamela Adlon; Cancer, own what happened and take steps to fix it," 9 July 2019 And begging her to move in with him 😱‼️ pic.twitter.com/lR9ZvJ7AI1 — 𝕁𝕖𝕤𝕤 (@j_may13) June 25, 2019 Which is...upsetting, if true. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Will Peter W. Be The Bachelor In 2020?," 3 July 2019 Gutierrez said he has been deeply upset by the government centers' practice of taking away medicines that migrants arrive with, and medicines are not given back when they're released. — Jen Christensen And Michael Nedelman, CNN, "Doctors describe black box of medical care in detention facilities: 'That is not medical care. That's malpractice'," 2 July 2019 You can be upset with your industry AND still want to be a part of it by encouraging change. — Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE.com, "Justin Bieber’s Ex-Choreographer Emma Portner Slams Him for 'Degrading Women' Amid Taylor Swift Feud," 2 July 2019 The mother of three realizes that sharing this insight upsets loyal fans of House Hunters, but as with other reality TV shows, there’s always some form of a script expected. — Selena Barrientos, House Beautiful, "HGTV’s ‘House Hunters’ Isn’t at All What It Appears to Be, According to This Family," 21 June 2019 But Les Bleues have a habit of slipping up in major tournaments: They were upset by Colombia in the group stage of the 2015 World Cup, and lost to Canada in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Olympics. — Jonathan Tannenwald, https://www.inquirer.com, "Women’s World Cup 2019: Top games to watch in the group stage," 6 June 2019 The fact that Cyrus’ Ashley O is upset with herself and her career is actually not the most troubling part of the episode. — Rachel Paige, refinery29.com, "What Black Mirror's Ashley O Represents Is Already Happening. A Lot.," 6 June 2019 They were upset by the nature of the event held in a nearby high school’s gym, which was intended to honor the shooting’s victim and other young heroes who intervened to stop the shooting. — Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue, "Students Walked Out of a Vigil for the STEM School Highlands Ranch Shooting After Politicians Spoke," 9 May 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

How Auburn got here The Tigers (38-27) reached the College World Series after pulling off two upsets in the NCAA regional and super regional. — Cameron Teague Robinson, The Courier-Journal, "5 things to know about Louisville baseball team's next opponent, Auburn," 18 June 2019 Japan almost caused a monumental upset in their round of 16 clash with Belgium, going 2-0 up with 52 minutes on the clock. — SI.com, "Hiroki Sakai: 5 Things to Know About the Tottenham Hotspur Target," 11 June 2019 Division 4: Cohasset After beginning the season 2-9, LeVangie led the Clippers to a 12-11 mark and the Division 4 South semifinals, including an upset over previously unbeaten West Bridgewater in the first round. — BostonGlobe.com, "2018-19 Girls' Basketball All-Scholastics," 10 June 2019 No blatant signs of euphoria existed after their 123-109 upset in Wednesday night’s Game 3. — Cam Inman, The Mercury News, "Raptors react with proper stoicism after taking advantage of depleted Warriors," 6 June 2019 The party also scored an upset in an Indiana senate seat in District 29, which includes Carmel, when J.D. Ford beat Republican incumbent Mike Delph. — John Tuohy, Indianapolis Star, "Hamilton County Democrats try but fail to put up any candidates for mayor seats," 8 May 2019 Trinidad and Tobago, ranked 99th in the world before the match, eliminated the Americans from the 2018 World Cup with a shocking 2-1 upset that embarrassed U.S. soccer, sinking it to its lowest point in decades. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "The U.S. Men’s Soccer Team Gets Another Shot at Trinidad and Tobago," 21 June 2019 But the best Group of Five teams still have a chance to spring some big upsets and climb the rankings to reignite the debates UCF sparked. — Joan Niesen, SI.com, "Which Group of Five Teams Have Reachable Top-10 Ceilings?," 20 June 2019 Instead, a hard-charging Michael O Connor stormed in to make the game-ending grab, securing for unseeded Austin a 3-1 upset at Siebert Field in a Class 3A quarterfinal game. — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, "Class 3A state baseball: Austin upsets second-seeded Hill-Murray 3-1 in quarters," 13 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Those upset with the Ross flag pullback are not Nike customers and pose zero threat to the brand. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Econometer: Did Nike make the right move recalling Betsy Ross shoes?," 12 July 2019 When the sentence was handed down, family members appeared upset. — Sydney Czyzon, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'Humiliation and rage': Man who lost fistfight given life sentence for pulling out gun, killing man on basketball court," 12 July 2019 Outrage circulated on social media due to the flow of pictures and posts regarding the continuing issue, and many are upset at climbers for not respecting the wishes of the Anangu people. — Fox News, "Tourists flock to Uluru before ban, straining sacred site," 12 July 2019 There were also those upset about how the crew's presence likely sealed off access to those who had not only secured permits through the proper channels, but who had made the 10-mile hike carrying their own food and supplies. — Scott Craven, azcentral, "Beyoncé was at Havasupai Falls at the Grand Canyon, and people are angry about it," 11 July 2019 Texas Republican Chip Roy also appeared upset by the story. — Danielle Garrand, CBS News, "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tears up while hearing story of child who died after being held by ICE," 10 July 2019 But the Wexners weren't satisfied with the painting – upset about Abigail's expression and the children's ages and sizes – and refused to pay. — Jessie Balmert, Cincinnati.com, "How Ohio's richest man was connected to Jeffrey Epstein, financier turned sex offender," 10 July 2019 In MSU’s upset win at Penn State, following a turnover, Lewerke went deep down the left sideline as Dotson slipped into a gap in coverage. — Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan State football needs TE Matt Dotson to reach potential, catch ball better," 9 July 2019 Many residents are upset at the proximity of the facility to their homes. — Alexis Gravely, WSJ, "New York City Jail Plan Is Dividing Communities," 27 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'upset.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.