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
Julian Stern, Artforum, 24 Mar. 2026
If iron upsets your stomach, take it with a small snack.
—Sara Hoffman, Verywell Health, 13 Mar. 2026
This upsets her husband, Paul, who has returned with his and Roxie’s two young sons.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
If Finland upsets Canada, three other Panthers — Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola — would play for the gold.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2026
Lowell Bailey upsets the pre-race favorites in the men’s individual competition to become the first American biathlete to win gold at the world championships.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
Hayley’s very upset by it, and that upsets Mickey, and that’s probably one of the biggest driving motivations for him, not just to save his own life, but to save his daughter and his family from the ramifications of this.
—Pat Saperstein, Variety, 7 Feb. 2026
Or, imagine that Uruguay upsets Spain in Group H.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Prevent upsets to your meal (and upsets to your hungry guests) by making every spice, seasoning, and ingredient easy to find.
—Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 17 Dec. 2025
Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2026
While this year’s tournament has been lacking Cinderellas, the dearth of upsets means the four teams remaining are truly some of the best in the country.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 29 Mar. 2026
But due to the lack of early round upsets, there are no schools remaining with minuscule budgets, and therefore no third-round matchups with huge financial disparities.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 26 Mar. 2026
This may be one of the low points in UConn’s March Madness History, though it’ll always be remembered as one of the most exhilarating upsets in the history of the tournament.
—Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
But in one of the biggest upsets in figure skating history, Malinin fell twice and made other glaring mistakes in a disastrous free skate, falling from first to eighth place.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
But their approach has a history of upsets.
—Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
The upsets could rekindle a heated and era-defining debate over whether social media companies should be held responsible for the posts that appear on their platforms.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 25 Mar. 2026
And yet, while the NCAA Tournament retains its traditional trappings and brackets and upsets keep the country entranced, the underpinnings of college basketball are totally different.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
By amalgamating these museological devices into the artwork, Aram directly upsets the threefold impulse to pierce form with meaning, to arrest color with identity, and to neutralize bodies with limits.
—Julian Stern, Artforum, 24 Mar. 2026
If iron upsets your stomach, take it with a small snack.
—Sara Hoffman, Verywell Health, 13 Mar. 2026
This upsets her husband, Paul, who has returned with his and Roxie’s two young sons.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
If Finland upsets Canada, three other Panthers — Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola — would play for the gold.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2026
Lowell Bailey upsets the pre-race favorites in the men’s individual competition to become the first American biathlete to win gold at the world championships.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
Hayley’s very upset by it, and that upsets Mickey, and that’s probably one of the biggest driving motivations for him, not just to save his own life, but to save his daughter and his family from the ramifications of this.
—Pat Saperstein, Variety, 7 Feb. 2026
Or, imagine that Uruguay upsets Spain in Group H.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Prevent upsets to your meal (and upsets to your hungry guests) by making every spice, seasoning, and ingredient easy to find.
—Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 17 Dec. 2025
Noun
His play, along with teammates Kai Valentine, Cooper Ellwood and Davis May, propelled Rock Canyon to Coliseum upsets in the Final Four and championship game.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2026
While this year’s tournament has been lacking Cinderellas, the dearth of upsets means the four teams remaining are truly some of the best in the country.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 29 Mar. 2026
But due to the lack of early round upsets, there are no schools remaining with minuscule budgets, and therefore no third-round matchups with huge financial disparities.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 26 Mar. 2026
This may be one of the low points in UConn’s March Madness History, though it’ll always be remembered as one of the most exhilarating upsets in the history of the tournament.
—Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
But in one of the biggest upsets in figure skating history, Malinin fell twice and made other glaring mistakes in a disastrous free skate, falling from first to eighth place.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
But their approach has a history of upsets.
—Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
The upsets could rekindle a heated and era-defining debate over whether social media companies should be held responsible for the posts that appear on their platforms.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 25 Mar. 2026
And yet, while the NCAA Tournament retains its traditional trappings and brackets and upsets keep the country entranced, the underpinnings of college basketball are totally different.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upsets
Verb
-
The Leo moon disturbs unconscious patterns that are ready to be interrupted.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Removing nodules from the ocean floor disturbs the silty seabed that's home to many organisms, like worms and small crustaceans, the scientists found.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Such a determination would require new radiocarbon dating that overturns the original results, which would involve clipping and destroying another snippet of shroud—a step that the Vatican is unlikely to allow.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Simpler flight design The concept overturns the idea that shock waves must be reduced.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Airlines around the world have been grappling with volatile oil markets as fighting near the Strait of Hormuz disrupts global supplies.—
Rio Yamat,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Spilling kills ocean wildlife, fouls beaches and disrupts coastal economies.—
Kristen Monsell,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While most of Asia is hit hard, China will likely benefit from the fossil fuel disruptions despite being the biggest purchaser of Iranian oil.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
While summer travel looks to be stable so far this year, further disruptions could come to air travel if the Iran war ramps back up or if the closure of the Strait of Hormuz isn’t resolved.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His approach is to look at what bothers that person the most.—
Kaicey Baylor,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The political rhetoric aimed at ridiculing Canada bothers Johnson.—
Jeanne Bonner,
CNN Money,
16 Mar. 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
-
The low-performing chefs are Rhoda, whose lamb confuses the kids; Sherry, whose grits were oddly flavored; and Oscar, whose puff pastry soaked up all the deep-fryer oil.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
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Learn about Outside Online's affiliate link policy Go somewhere that confuses your algorithm.—
Kevin Sintumuang,
Outside,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Saturday, when police responded to multiple disturbances within the southwest area of the city, FOX 5 reported.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
7 Apr. 2026
-
An active weather pattern returns by the end of the week due to a southerly wind, an increase in moisture, and a few different disturbances.—
Lauren Bostwick,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Upsets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upsets. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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