upside down

adverb

up·​side down ˈəp-ˌsīd-ˈdau̇n 

1

: in such a way that the upper and the lower parts are reversed in position

2

: in or into great disorder

turned their world upside down

upside-down

ˈəp-ˌsīd-ˈdau̇n 

adjective

Examples of upside down in a Sentence

You hung the picture upside down!

To remove the plant, turn the pot upside down and tap gently on the bottom to loosen it.

The baby was holding the book upside down.

Recent Examples on the Web

But the night before takeoff, everything was flipped upside down. —Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 25 Apr. 2026

Brittany would later try to convince me to ride the last line upside down. —Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026

There the new images reveal an odd structure that resembles an upside down question mark. —Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026

And while none of the kids really knew how to read yet – some of them held their books upside down – Braylon would sit quietly with his book upright and carefully put it away when he was done. —Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

alteration of Middle English up so doun, from up + so + doun down

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for upside down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

upside down

adverb

up·​side down ˌəp-ˌsīd-ˈdau̇n 

1

: with the upper part underneath and the lower part on top

2

: in or into great disorder

upside-down adjective

Legal Definition

upside down

adjective

: underwater

upside down mortgages

upside down homes

upside down homeowners