1
as in disturbs
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
the smallest things can upset us if we're already stressed
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in overturns
to turn on one's side or upside down
the narrow boat upsets easily and should be handled with care
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disrupts
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
the change in the bus schedule upset our daily routine
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in disruptions
an act or instance of the order of things being disturbed
the move to a new town is just the latest in a series of upsets for my family over the last year
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of upsets
Katherine Dillinger, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
This upsets David and leads to a backstage father-son confrontation.
—Rob Reiner, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2025
This ending only upsets me as much as reality does, which is to say considerably.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 18 Aug. 2025
This nearly upsets Calypso, who laughs and asks why John would want to sacrifice his freedom for companionship when true freedom is best experienced alone.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
This is often discussed in relation to engagement algorithms, which tend to identify the type of content that most upsets us and then boost that content.
—ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2025
Brady Shanahan, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025
With multiple overtime games, upsets and close calls, Week 2 provided a lot of reasons to shake up this week’s edition of The Athletic 136, just not at the top.
—Chris Vannini, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
So what exactly are the aforementioned upsets that could’ve just been teed up by the Creative Arts Emmys 2025 wins?
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2025
There are always examples of FCS upsets, too.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 5 Sep. 2025
And just like in sports, there were some nailbiting finishes, a few major upsets and a whole lot of victory laps to take.
—Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
One of the first surprising upsets of the college football season occurred on Friday night as Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) school Tarleton State defeated Army, 30-27.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 30 Aug. 2025
That is why upsets occur, which adds excitement to the events and keeps fans watching.
—Sheldon H. Jacobson, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, and Penn State each carry high expectations among the Power 4, but early upsets or standout performances could shift the FPI landscape dramatically in the coming weeks.
—Cecil Merkerson, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
What upsets me the most about that is that people believe it.
—Katherine Dillinger, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
This upsets David and leads to a backstage father-son confrontation.
—Rob Reiner, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2025
This ending only upsets me as much as reality does, which is to say considerably.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 18 Aug. 2025
This nearly upsets Calypso, who laughs and asks why John would want to sacrifice his freedom for companionship when true freedom is best experienced alone.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
This is often discussed in relation to engagement algorithms, which tend to identify the type of content that most upsets us and then boost that content.
—ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
However, the Tigers managed two top-10 upsets.
—Brady Shanahan, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025
With multiple overtime games, upsets and close calls, Week 2 provided a lot of reasons to shake up this week’s edition of The Athletic 136, just not at the top.
—Chris Vannini, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
So what exactly are the aforementioned upsets that could’ve just been teed up by the Creative Arts Emmys 2025 wins?
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2025
There are always examples of FCS upsets, too.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 5 Sep. 2025
And just like in sports, there were some nailbiting finishes, a few major upsets and a whole lot of victory laps to take.
—Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
One of the first surprising upsets of the college football season occurred on Friday night as Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) school Tarleton State defeated Army, 30-27.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 30 Aug. 2025
That is why upsets occur, which adds excitement to the events and keeps fans watching.
—Sheldon H. Jacobson, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, and Penn State each carry high expectations among the Power 4, but early upsets or standout performances could shift the FPI landscape dramatically in the coming weeks.
—Cecil Merkerson, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upsets
Verb
-
The water is perfectly clear — until someone brushes the side of the cave or disturbs the soft bottom, sending fine silt particles billowing into the beam of a headlamp.—
Jennifer Walker,
CNN Money,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The insight reportedly overturns a paradigm established nearly two centuries ago by popular British mathematician Lord Kelvin’s brother, James Thompson, who at the time proposed that pressure and friction contribute to ice melting alongside temperature.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Sep. 2025
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The decision overturns a ruling by a lower-court judge in 2023 who had declared the law unconstitutional after previously blocking it from taking effect in 2021.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Incomplete or inconsistent data disrupts workflows and triggers irrelevant follow-ups.—
Al Sefati,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
And there’s the impact of climate change itself, which disrupts seasonal temperature change routines.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
At the time, the company claimed that there would be no disruptions to its regular payout protocols and structures throughout the bankruptcy process, per the outlet.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Events once considered rare—like the 2003 Northeast blackout that hit 50 million people—are now seen as precursors of larger disruptions.—
Robert Rapier,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In New York, there’s no worry; no one bothers us.—
Katie Schultz,
Architectural Digest,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
When a violent storm nearly capsizes them, the family awakes in a desert land.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
9 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
And so an urban tunnel not only blocks some satellites, but confuses the listeners as to which are direct or reflected signals.—
Steve Tengler,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This stereo effect was crucial, allowing interpreters to detect subtle details, from industrial structures to environmental disturbances.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
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Not all philosophers are willing to count these disturbances of an animal’s serene environment or personal space as an invasion of privacy.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Upsets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upsets. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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