UPENDING Synonyms: 123 Similar and Opposite Words

upending

verb

Definition of upending next

present participle of upend

as in defeating

to achieve a victory over the team won the division play-offs, but was upended in the final championship game

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of upending These are the first federal funds directed to the landslide area since the city declared a local emergency in October 2023, when land movement began reaching unprecedented levels, tearing up roads, splitting homes and upending utilities. —

Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026 The three challenges are each political newcomers and face long odds at the ballot box to upending Risch, a Boise resident who is a household name in Idaho and a former governor, lieutenant governor and state senator. —

Kevin Fixler may 3, Idaho Statesman, 3 May 2026 Travelers across the country reacted with a mix of disbelief, gratitude and sadness as Spirit Airlines ceased operations, upending plans and marking the end of a carrier that, for many, had become a lifeline for affordable travel. —

Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 2 May 2026 Spirit Airlines, the scrappy discounter that once rattled the industry with cheeky ads and rock-bottom fares, took its final flight after 34 years of upending the business of flying. —

Bernard Condon, Chicago Tribune, 2 May 2026 Those plans were derailed after the war triggered a spike in jet fuel prices, upending Spirit's cost projections and complicating its exit from bankruptcy. —

David Shepardson, USA Today, 1 May 2026 Kenya eyes $600M in World Bank emergency funds Kenya is eyeing around $600 million in emergency funds from the World Bank in a bid to soften the impact of the Iran war, which is upending economies across the continent. —

Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026 Citizen journalism was heralded as an opportunity for nonprofessionals to participate in the creation and selection of news content, upending journalists’ roles as gatekeepers. —

Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026 Witherspoon has long been talking about artificial intelligence and encouraging her followers to become familiar with the technology, which is rapidly upending industries from Hollywood to tech. —

Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for upending

Verb

Swalwell won his congressional race, defeating a 40-year incumbent more than double his age, and grew his national profile by connecting with young voters on social media.

— Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 4 May 2026
In all, according to a tally from AdImpact, nearly $7 million has been spent on TV ads this year in Indiana state senate races, the bulk of it aimed at defeating the Republicans who voted against the redrawn congressional maps.

— Tamara Keith, NPR, 4 May 2026