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
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
The story centres on a couple in the days before their anniversary celebrations, whose relationship is quietly upended when a letter arrives from Switzerland – connected to the decades-old discovery of a woman’s body preserved in glacial ice.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
The Iran war has killed thousands of people and upended global markets by disrupting the flow of oil.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Apr. 2026
The union representing rank-and-file officers, and many of their attorneys, say Bonta needlessly upended dozens of people’s lives with unwarranted criminal charges.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Just when the group seems to have reunited to support Jim and come to a peaceful ending, everything gets completely upended with a shocking murder in the final moments.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026
The strike is most certainly a factor in that data, given that the work stoppage continued into the start of the fall season and upended production schedules left and right.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2026
Found Sound is a story about two kids, Felix and Marigold, and a seemingly dull summer vacation that’s upended when the kids find an old wooden box that says OPEN ME.
—Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
But the sell-off has had much deeper implications for many markets beyond New York, with the outperformance achieved by some international indices last year now upended.
—Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 6 May 2026
The story follows Tereza, a recent high school graduate whose life is upended by a relentless diagnosis that gradually robs her of her sight.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 6 May 2026
Plot synopsis Hughie Campbell’s life is upended after his girlfriend is accidentally killed by A-Train.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 May 2026
The ensuing turmoil upended Spain, which lost most of its empire.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
The capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro upended Venezuela earlier this year, but speakers said Venezuelans still would face danger and political repression there.
—Megan Vaz, Sun Sentinel, 4 May 2026
The 27-member bloc is also developing a digital product passport, along with other textile sustainability standards that could be upended by France’s unilateral legislation.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 4 May 2026
Saturday saw a trio of Trojan teams upended in the NCAA tournament.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
Now, however, simply getting art supplies is a challenge, as his life and career have been upended by the regional war.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
This upended conventional thinking.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
The story centres on a couple in the days before their anniversary celebrations, whose relationship is quietly upended when a letter arrives from Switzerland – connected to the decades-old discovery of a woman’s body preserved in glacial ice.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
The Iran war has killed thousands of people and upended global markets by disrupting the flow of oil.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Apr. 2026
The union representing rank-and-file officers, and many of their attorneys, say Bonta needlessly upended dozens of people’s lives with unwarranted criminal charges.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Just when the group seems to have reunited to support Jim and come to a peaceful ending, everything gets completely upended with a shocking murder in the final moments.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026
The strike is most certainly a factor in that data, given that the work stoppage continued into the start of the fall season and upended production schedules left and right.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2026
Found Sound is a story about two kids, Felix and Marigold, and a seemingly dull summer vacation that’s upended when the kids find an old wooden box that says OPEN ME.
—Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
But the sell-off has had much deeper implications for many markets beyond New York, with the outperformance achieved by some international indices last year now upended.
—Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
The Iran war has also upended the global economy, with many countries facing a strain on oil supply and negative economic effects, which could affect leisure purchases like video games.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 6 May 2026
The story follows Tereza, a recent high school graduate whose life is upended by a relentless diagnosis that gradually robs her of her sight.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 6 May 2026
Plot synopsis Hughie Campbell’s life is upended after his girlfriend is accidentally killed by A-Train.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 May 2026
The ensuing turmoil upended Spain, which lost most of its empire.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
The capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro upended Venezuela earlier this year, but speakers said Venezuelans still would face danger and political repression there.
—Megan Vaz, Sun Sentinel, 4 May 2026
The 27-member bloc is also developing a digital product passport, along with other textile sustainability standards that could be upended by France’s unilateral legislation.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 4 May 2026
Saturday saw a trio of Trojan teams upended in the NCAA tournament.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
Now, however, simply getting art supplies is a challenge, as his life and career have been upended by the regional war.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upended
Verb
-
Once fierce rivals, the two men were responsible for the country’s first peaceful transfer of power between parties, after Jefferson and his Democratic-Republican Party defeated Adams and the Federalists in the election of 1800.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Disable my adblockerContinue without disabling Contact support|We're using DeVaux’s dream was realized in large part due to jockey Jose Ortiz, who defeated his own brother — who was on top of Renegade — for the win.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
Verb
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At least two memorials have been erected in Williams’ honor, including one at the site of the crash and another at her school.—
Abigail Adams,
PEOPLE,
5 May 2026
-
The statue, which includes a Banksy signature on its base, was erected overnight on Wednesday.—
Anastasia Tsioulcas,
NPR,
2 May 2026
Verb
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The East’s top seed overcame a 3-1 series deficit and a 24-point road deficit during Game 6 in a memorable series comeback.—
Scott Phillips,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
-
Michael Massey scored on Maikel Garcia's sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, and the Kansas City Royals overcame a dominant 14-strikeout performance from Seattle starter Emerson Hancock to beat the Mariners 3-2 on Saturday night.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Obama raised millions of dollars, produced a raft of advertisements, and took the unusual step of endorsing dozens of candidates for state legislative office.—
Peter Slevin,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Last June, Russian banks raised red flags on a potential debt crisis as high interest rates weighed on borrowers’ ability to pay off loans.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
Verb
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The central challenge is that China has mastered the entire innovation ecosystem, while the United States has allowed its own to fracture.—
Imran Khalid,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
-
Rival Blue Origin has only just cracked the reusable-rocket tech that Falcon mastered; SpaceX may already be moving a generation beyond it.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Water has been a focus of the Newsom administration since his first day in office, when the governor took his cabinet to Monterey Park Tract, a rural Central Valley community that lacked access to safe drinking water.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
Last Saturday, during SDFC’s rivalry match against LAFC, one fan took the message up a notch.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
Verb
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The student riding with Estabrook, who the choir director sent frantically driving for help, had raced to the neighboring oil refinery, where two cranes were dispatched to intervene.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
9 May 2026
-
Seconds later, a controller said emergency vehicles were being dispatched.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Verb
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With over 40 years of experience and a heritage rooted in the prestigious Valmont Clinic on the Swiss Riviera, the brand has conquered the world of skincare, combining advanced science, the purest natural ingredients from the Alps, and an unmistakable artistic sensibility.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Admittedly, the company conquered the market in large part by achieving a dramatic reduction in launch costs.—
Ben Tarnoff,
Big Think,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Upended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upended. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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