1
as in to defeat
to achieve a victory over
the team won the division play-offs, but was upended in the final championship game
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to erect
to fix in an upright position
we had to upend the sofa in order to fit it into the elevator
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of upend
Many clergy feared what this would mean for their congregations, but the outcome upended all expectations.
—
Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
In the span of two weeks this past May, two very different films arrived to upend the notion of will or won’t play big with multiplex audiences.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2026
As traditional radio was being upended by rapid technology shifts, Audacy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2024, emerging a year later with reduced debt and a revitalized outlook.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 June 2026
Set in Punjab, the series centres on two brothers – Bobby and Bunty Manocha, played by Shaheer and Mishra respectively – whose lives are upended after Bunty vanishes following an encounter with a powerful figure named Goldy, portrayed by Kapoor.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for upend
Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
In the span of two weeks this past May, two very different films arrived to upend the notion of will or won’t play big with multiplex audiences.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2026
As traditional radio was being upended by rapid technology shifts, Audacy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2024, emerging a year later with reduced debt and a revitalized outlook.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 June 2026
Set in Punjab, the series centres on two brothers – Bobby and Bunty Manocha, played by Shaheer and Mishra respectively – whose lives are upended after Bunty vanishes following an encounter with a powerful figure named Goldy, portrayed by Kapoor.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for upend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upend
Verb
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And the resounding manner of Burnham’s win – comprehensively defeating Reform weeks after Labour was routed in local elections – gives him considerable momentum too.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
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Scotland, which defeated Haiti 1-0 on the same field last Friday, likely would need to beat or draw Brazil in its group-stage finale in Miami to qualify for the Round of 32.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
20 June 2026
Verb
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Just days before the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, a professional UFC fighter standing inside a cage erected on the South Lawn of the White House mocked former First Lady Michelle Obama by referring to her as a man.—
Sophia A. Nelson,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
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Pubs and bars across London were full to the brim as giant screens were erected here, there and everywhere.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
Verb
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The Bulldogs fell behind 3-0 in the first and could not overcome the early deficit thanks to the efforts of OU starting pitcher Xander Mercurius’ 7 1/3 quality innings pitched.—
Hunter DeLauder,
AJC.com,
16 June 2026
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Chasing atomic limits To overcome that challenge, the KAIST team relied on first-principles calculations, a computational approach that predicts material behavior using the laws of physics rather than experimental data.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
16 June 2026
Verb
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But after community concerns were raised, work on the Jefferson side is being delayed, according to the memo.—
Dawn White,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
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But recently, public health officials have raised alarms about a component of the leaf called 7-hydroxymitragynine, also known as 7-OH, an alkaloid that has the potential for abuse and addiction in high doses.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Verb
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For resistance training, that may mean starting with lighter weights and mastering technique before increasing load.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
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Costco has mastered this equation for years.—
Gabriel Alin Zainescu,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Verb
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Michael Tusk of Quince in San Francisco was named Outstanding Chef at the award ceremony, which took place at the historic Lyric Opera in Chicago before an audience of about 2,000 chefs, restaurant owners and culinary figures.—
Jeanne Bonner,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
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Wood took a direct shot at the goal, but Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand gathered it with ease.—
Iliana Limón Romero,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Collins easily beat former football coach Derek Dooley, according to unofficial election results.—
Tia Mitchell,
AJC.com,
17 June 2026
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The stance in 1966 let in North Korea, who famously beat Italy en route to the quarter-finals.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Verb
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The most recent Low Carb Cruise featured a talk by an oncologist about diets and cancer, one by a cardiologist about metabolic and heart health and another by an internal medicine physician on conquering food addiction.—
Teresa Mull,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2026
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Not content with pioneering a whole new video format in North America through the ReelShort microdrama platform, Crazy Maple Studio founder and CEO Joey Jia now has his sights set on conquering Asia.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Upend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upend. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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