1
as in disturbs
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
the smallest things can upset us if we're already stressed
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of upsets
Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2026
What upsets Harry and Meghan about it?
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 9 June 2026
The fruit upsets their digestive systems.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 7 June 2026
Recognizing the month or opting out sends a message that upsets somebody regardless of the choice.
—Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026
Saint Mary’s, which made the field by winning the WCC tournament, is not new to NCAA Tournament upsets.
—Mitch Light, New York Times, 29 May 2026
But if Mark Stone, the Knights’ version of Gabe Landeskog, remains sidelined, there is no chance Las Vegas upsets the Avs.
—Beth Rankin, Denver Post, 20 May 2026
This is a precarious tightrope to walk, with bond investors primed to sell if there’s a hint the biggest player in the market upsets the apple cart.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 17 May 2026
On the women’s side, where blowouts are many and upsets rare, some of those first-round games figure to be can’t-watch TV.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 15 June 2026
Saudi Arabia caused one of the great World Cup upsets in Qatar by beating Argentina, so their capacity for disruption exists, though replicating that against a Spain side of this caliber would be something different entirely.
—Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
Japan stunned Germany and Spain for two of the biggest upsets at the last World Cup in Qatar.
—Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 14 June 2026
The World Cup is known for upsets.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 13 June 2026
Even with all those extra teams – there’s 48 in this year’s tournament, up 16 from recent editions – there will still be the surprises and upsets that make every World Cup special.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 11 June 2026
American professional sports leagues often tweak rules to increase scoring, and FIFA is now experimenting with a new offside rule that would lead to more goals, reduce major upsets and benefit wealthier clubs.
—Kirk Bowman, The Conversation, 9 June 2026
JSerra navigated a difficult regular-season schedule, then avoided upsets in the playoffs.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
Some great players didn’t make it to Paris because of injuries; other top seeds lost in early-round upsets; still others lost in later-round upsets.
—Corey Seymour, Vogue, 7 June 2026
Verb
According to Harvard Health, travel disrupts the body’s natural rhythms — time changes, altered eating schedules, poor sleep — which upsets digestion, especially in people with already-sensitive guts.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2026
What upsets Harry and Meghan about it?
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 9 June 2026
The fruit upsets their digestive systems.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 7 June 2026
Recognizing the month or opting out sends a message that upsets somebody regardless of the choice.
—Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026
Saint Mary’s, which made the field by winning the WCC tournament, is not new to NCAA Tournament upsets.
—Mitch Light, New York Times, 29 May 2026
But if Mark Stone, the Knights’ version of Gabe Landeskog, remains sidelined, there is no chance Las Vegas upsets the Avs.
—Beth Rankin, Denver Post, 20 May 2026
This is a precarious tightrope to walk, with bond investors primed to sell if there’s a hint the biggest player in the market upsets the apple cart.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 17 May 2026
On the women’s side, where blowouts are many and upsets rare, some of those first-round games figure to be can’t-watch TV.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
Noun
The evening was defined by pageantry, knockouts and upsets.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 15 June 2026
Saudi Arabia caused one of the great World Cup upsets in Qatar by beating Argentina, so their capacity for disruption exists, though replicating that against a Spain side of this caliber would be something different entirely.
—Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
Japan stunned Germany and Spain for two of the biggest upsets at the last World Cup in Qatar.
—Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 14 June 2026
The World Cup is known for upsets.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 13 June 2026
Even with all those extra teams – there’s 48 in this year’s tournament, up 16 from recent editions – there will still be the surprises and upsets that make every World Cup special.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 11 June 2026
American professional sports leagues often tweak rules to increase scoring, and FIFA is now experimenting with a new offside rule that would lead to more goals, reduce major upsets and benefit wealthier clubs.
—Kirk Bowman, The Conversation, 9 June 2026
JSerra navigated a difficult regular-season schedule, then avoided upsets in the playoffs.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
Some great players didn’t make it to Paris because of injuries; other top seeds lost in early-round upsets; still others lost in later-round upsets.
—Corey Seymour, Vogue, 7 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upsets
Verb
-
The pier in Michigan City’s Washington Park disturbs the natural flow of sand along the lakeshore, creating new land east of the pier but starving beaches to the west, an erosion problem repeated by other manmade structures that jut out into Lake Michigan.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2026
-
Regardless, there’s a clear symbolism to Clark empathizing and embracing a bloated externalization of his own inchoate fury until someone with an outside perspective disturbs his peace, and that fury breaks loose and devours him.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Here is the four-page temporary injunction order from Lubbock County district court judge Ken Curry that essentially overturns the NCAA's decision and grants Brendan Sorsby eligiblity for the 2026 college football season.—
Christopher Kamrani,
New York Times,
9 June 2026
-
Democrats asked whether that includes federal court orders, and Mullin responded that depends on whether a higher court overturns a ruling.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Elizalde’s model at Viva disrupts the way business has been done in the past.—
Karen Idelson,
Variety,
16 June 2026
-
Papercut disrupts that, if only momentarily.—
Sheldon Pearce,
NPR,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Those disruptions have driven higher fuel prices and made the war increasingly unpopular in the United States, where consumers have faced rising costs at the pump.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
-
Unlike natural gas, wind power is not subject to fuel price spikes, global market disruptions, or supply constraints during extreme weather.—
Julianna Larue,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Oh, and more often than not, nobody bothers to check whether the change intervention actually worked, or whether leaders improve their performance after all!—
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
The government no longer even bothers to disguise itself as a democracy.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Based on a tragic true-life incident, director Joe Carnahan's survival thriller stars Zachary Levi as one of four friends who head out on a fishing expedition and their boat capsizes in a nasty storm.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The group gets stranded at sea off the coast of Florida when their boat capsizes, leading Coast Guard Captain Timothy Close (Duhamel) to oversee the efforts to bring them home as a storm looms.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There is a version of leadership that confuses visibility with impact, equating big initiatives and dramatic turnarounds with strong leadership.—
Monica Cutia,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
The whole concept of toxic fandom confuses me because, outside of the anger and backwards thinking, because who cares about a movie franchise that much?—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Those supporters were left unchallenged by stewards, despite FIFA winning a court hearing enabling them to lawfully prohibit people showing the lion-and-sun flags on the grounds of them carrying a political message and potentially causing disturbances.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
Hayes pointed to a 17-year-old who was shot during last year's fireworks, along with recent youth disturbances across the region.—
Elaine Rojas-Castillo,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Upsets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upsets. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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