1
as in defeated
to achieve a victory over
the team won the division play-offs, but was upended in the final championship game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in erected
to fix in an upright position
we had to upend the sofa in order to fit it into the elevator
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of upended
Donie O'Sullivan, CNN Money, 6 June 2026
Thomas, who was a runner, had his life completely upended, going in and out of various hospitals for the rest of his life.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
The group is suddenly upended when one couple -- Anne and Nick (Kenney-Silver and Steve Carrell, respectively) -- abruptly divorces and Nick introduces the group to a younger girlfriend, Ginny (Henningsen).
—Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 28 May 2026
Set in sunny Palm Springs, the story follows a wealthy, politically conservative family whose Christmas is upended when their daughter returns home to reveal she’s written an explosive tell-all memoir.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 26 May 2026
But their fresh start is quickly upended when a wildfire tears through the property.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026
While schools have focused on catching kids up since the COVID-19 pandemic upended education, reading test scores have been falling since 2013 for eighth graders and 2015 for fourth graders, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
—CBS News, 13 May 2026
The raid upended tenants’ lives.
—Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 13 May 2026
China’s decision to suspend exports of a wide range of rare earths and related magnets, and its ban on semiconductors from Nexperia China, upended supply chains central to global automakers, with political and economic consequences across Europe, Japan, and South Korea.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 11 May 2026
Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 17 June 2026
The war against Iran upended the global economy and sent prices soaring.
—Joel Mathis, TheWeek, 17 June 2026
Windham’s mother said her son’s death upended their lives and left the family devastated, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 16 June 2026
An October 2024 conversation — which Jackson Leggett intended as a joke — completely upended his senior year, according to a lawsuit Leggett filed last month in federal court against the school district, the superintendent, his teacher, Kendall County and a sheriff’s deputy.
—Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
The scramble as the deadline approached was more intense than usual this year because of the state’s new congressional districts, which upended the careers of incumbents and opened opportunities for a slew of other hopefuls.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2026
Many clergy feared what this would mean for their congregations, but the outcome upended all expectations.
—Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
Their dominance was upended by their ignorance.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 14 June 2026
Dunham said that if Lee’s case ends up before the Supreme Court and the state attorney general gets his way, the lower court’s ruling could be upended.
—Abigail Brooks, NBC news, 10 June 2026
Adjective
Old assumptions about authority, trust and social status were shaken if not upended.
—Donie O'Sullivan, CNN Money, 6 June 2026
Thomas, who was a runner, had his life completely upended, going in and out of various hospitals for the rest of his life.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
The group is suddenly upended when one couple -- Anne and Nick (Kenney-Silver and Steve Carrell, respectively) -- abruptly divorces and Nick introduces the group to a younger girlfriend, Ginny (Henningsen).
—Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 28 May 2026
Set in sunny Palm Springs, the story follows a wealthy, politically conservative family whose Christmas is upended when their daughter returns home to reveal she’s written an explosive tell-all memoir.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 26 May 2026
But their fresh start is quickly upended when a wildfire tears through the property.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026
While schools have focused on catching kids up since the COVID-19 pandemic upended education, reading test scores have been falling since 2013 for eighth graders and 2015 for fourth graders, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
—CBS News, 13 May 2026
The raid upended tenants’ lives.
—Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 13 May 2026
China’s decision to suspend exports of a wide range of rare earths and related magnets, and its ban on semiconductors from Nexperia China, upended supply chains central to global automakers, with political and economic consequences across Europe, Japan, and South Korea.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 11 May 2026
Verb
Trump has persistently called for the Fed to cut rates, but the Iran war has upended energy markets, with gasoline prices surging and electricity costs in the US expected to reach a record this summer, pushing inflation to a three-year high.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 17 June 2026
The war against Iran upended the global economy and sent prices soaring.
—Joel Mathis, TheWeek, 17 June 2026
Windham’s mother said her son’s death upended their lives and left the family devastated, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 16 June 2026
An October 2024 conversation — which Jackson Leggett intended as a joke — completely upended his senior year, according to a lawsuit Leggett filed last month in federal court against the school district, the superintendent, his teacher, Kendall County and a sheriff’s deputy.
—Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
The scramble as the deadline approached was more intense than usual this year because of the state’s new congressional districts, which upended the careers of incumbents and opened opportunities for a slew of other hopefuls.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2026
Many clergy feared what this would mean for their congregations, but the outcome upended all expectations.
—Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
Their dominance was upended by their ignorance.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 14 June 2026
Dunham said that if Lee’s case ends up before the Supreme Court and the state attorney general gets his way, the lower court’s ruling could be upended.
—Abigail Brooks, NBC news, 10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upended
Verb
-
New York City exploded with joy on Saturday night, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets after the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA finals.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
15 June 2026
-
Jalen Brunson finished with 45 points as the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to earn their first title since 1973.—
Tim Reynolds,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
So when a large wedding tent for Hall’s clients was erected, the excitement went into overdrive.—
Choire Sicha,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
-
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
Verb
-
Allisha Gray tied her season high with 26 points, Isobel Borlase set a career best with 17 off the bench, and the Atlanta Dream overcame a slow start to roll past the Toronto Tempo 102-77 Sunday at Coca-Cola Coliseum.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
-
Brunson scored 13 consecutive points in the fourth quarter for the Knicks, who overcame double-digit deficits in all four of their victories against the Spurs.—
Tim Reynolds,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
The accusations against Burton have raised questions about his criminal background and the vetting process city officials use before hiring someone for Safe Streets.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
-
Alex Call’s nice running catch of Edgar Quero’s foul down the left-field line ended the inning and raised the stakes.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Industrial robots have mastered many repetitive tasks, but preparing sashimi remains a surprisingly difficult challenge.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
19 June 2026
-
In 1971, the company introduced its first cup noodles – instant noodles that came in a disposable container, accompanied by a fork for those who hadn’t mastered chopsticks.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Mikhail Alfon, founder of Blue Light Media, a social media strategy agency, took his son, Santos, to multiple Orange County meetups.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
Responding officers took Reyes into custody.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
As for his second, Paqueta won the ball back, Vini Jr slipped him through and Cunha dispatched an emphatic near-post finish.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
20 June 2026
-
Police say that on June 10, officers were dispatched to the parking lot of a Planet Fitness on John R Road.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
The Defenders will have the unique advantage of playing for a second consecutive title in front of their home crowd, but the Kings already conquered one hostile road environment under high-stakes circumstances in their playoff win over the Battlehawks at The Dome last week.—
Juan Carlos Blanco,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
America, of course, had not conquered fear.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Upended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upended. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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