1
as in defeating
to achieve a victory over
the team won the division play-offs, but was upended in the final championship game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in erecting
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 upending
Iran attacked a cargo ship traveling through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, possibly upending President Donald Trump‘s diplomatic end to the war with Iran.
—
Christian Datoc,
The Washington Examiner,
25 June 2026
The mayor's goal was to make things easier for the city's immigrant delivery workforce by upending a policy that had been put in pace by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
—
Marcia Kramer,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
This structure grants public shareholders economic exposure but no power, upending traditional models designed to protect investors from executive self-interest.
—
Mary Johnstone-Louis,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
In the first movie, Woody has to overcome his fear that Buzz will replace him (a sly metacommentary by a studio that was itself upending the animation industry).
—
Jacob Stern,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2026
Russia suspended jet fuel exports, further upending trade in a product already hugely affected by the Iran war.
—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
2 June 2026
Both movies were directed by YouTube stars and cost nearly nothing to produce, upending conventional wisdom about the necessary components for a hit.
—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
31 May 2026
This show works to understand how those two minds—both devoted to upending the art market by making work that’s not easily categorizable—entertain certain themes simultaneously.
—
Zoë Hopkins,
New Yorker,
29 May 2026
An early morning Penn Station fire injured multiple people and snarled morning service between Newark and New York, upending commuter travel.
—
Amethyst Martinez,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Christian Datoc,
The Washington Examiner,
25 June 2026
The mayor's goal was to make things easier for the city's immigrant delivery workforce by upending a policy that had been put in pace by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
—
Marcia Kramer,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
This structure grants public shareholders economic exposure but no power, upending traditional models designed to protect investors from executive self-interest.
—
Mary Johnstone-Louis,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
In the first movie, Woody has to overcome his fear that Buzz will replace him (a sly metacommentary by a studio that was itself upending the animation industry).
—
Jacob Stern,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2026
Russia suspended jet fuel exports, further upending trade in a product already hugely affected by the Iran war.
—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
2 June 2026
Both movies were directed by YouTube stars and cost nearly nothing to produce, upending conventional wisdom about the necessary components for a hit.
—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
31 May 2026
This show works to understand how those two minds—both devoted to upending the art market by making work that’s not easily categorizable—entertain certain themes simultaneously.
—
Zoë Hopkins,
New Yorker,
29 May 2026
An early morning Penn Station fire injured multiple people and snarled morning service between Newark and New York, upending commuter travel.
—
Amethyst Martinez,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upending
Verb
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Head coach Dusty May of the Michigan Wolverines hoists the trophy after defeating the UConn Huskies 69-63.
-
Leviatán has been crowned Valorant Masters London champions, defeating Paper Rex 3-2 in a dramatic grand final.
Verb
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More energy devoted to passing laws to protect consumers from predatory businesses and to erecting guardrails to prevent artificial intelligence companies from collecting and selling our data for private gain.
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Workers spent Friday evening erecting scaffolding in front of the building as crowds gathered below to watch.
Verb
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Biden, who has spoken at length about overcoming drug addiction, claims to be at least $15 million in debt.
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Many training programs for travel consultants (or really for anybody who works in sales) include tactics on overcoming objections.
Verb
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The way the loss came about should be raising alarm bells inside the US camp.
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Forming partnerships with like-minded organizations is critical to raising brand awareness, accessing new markets and multiplying impact.
Verb
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For resistance training, that may mean starting with lighter weights and mastering technique before increasing load.
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Moving beyond self-expression, the goal for McKendrick has become mastering the art of turning private experiences into universal ones.
Verb
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On Election Day, Schlossberg was campaigning out in the rain despite the concerning polls, hearing stories from passersby about their Kennedy encounters over the years and taking selfies with starstruck supporters.
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Starting at age 10, kids can also sign up as counselors-in-training, helping younger campers in the morning and taking classes with their own age group in the afternoon.
Verb
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And while the titular ambulance chaser naturally holds court for six seasons (beating Breaking Bad by one), equally excellent turns by Jonathan Banks and Rhea Seehorn ensure this multi-award-winning series works as both the perfect prequel and a bingeable standalone drama.
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White won by a 2-point margin, beating Shaikh by just under 400 votes.
Verb
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The Netherlands had absolutely no problems dispatching Sweden in Houston as Cody Gakpo inspired Ronald Koeman’s side to an emphatic 5-1 win.
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Lyft has top-tier pricing, matching and dispatching algorithms and other infrastructure that could enable it to maximize AV utilization, per the investment firm.
Cite this Entry
“Upending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upending. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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