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
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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
Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
There were only two upsets this week, with Indiana thrashing Illinois 63-10 and Texas Tech knocking off Utah 34-10.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
Four of the last nine New Hampshire winners got their first win of the season, so expect upsets.
—Boston Herald Staff, Boston Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
Seven of the eight quarterfinalists in Cincinnati were top seeds, and there was little in the way of upsets along the way.
—Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
After Ensworth’s impressive 20-10 win over defending Division II-AAA state champion McCallie, the Tigers have now been on opposite sides of the state’s biggest TSSAA football upsets in 2025.
—Tyler Palmateer, Nashville Tennessean, 13 Sep. 2025
The Black Knights have been involved in two of the bigger upsets in college football, are 1-1, but very much in the black.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
However, the Tigers managed two top-10 upsets.
—Brady Shanahan, Kansas City Star, 9 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
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
Of those upsets, 20 had rematches the following season (with three more to come this year, starting with Bama-Vandy and including Michigan-Ohio State).
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
There were only two upsets this week, with Indiana thrashing Illinois 63-10 and Texas Tech knocking off Utah 34-10.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
Four of the last nine New Hampshire winners got their first win of the season, so expect upsets.
—Boston Herald Staff, Boston Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
Seven of the eight quarterfinalists in Cincinnati were top seeds, and there was little in the way of upsets along the way.
—Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
After Ensworth’s impressive 20-10 win over defending Division II-AAA state champion McCallie, the Tigers have now been on opposite sides of the state’s biggest TSSAA football upsets in 2025.
—Tyler Palmateer, Nashville Tennessean, 13 Sep. 2025
The Black Knights have been involved in two of the bigger upsets in college football, are 1-1, but very much in the black.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
However, the Tigers managed two top-10 upsets.
—Brady Shanahan, Kansas City Star, 9 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upsets
Verb
-
Currently comprising more than 8,300 active satellites, the Starlink constellation also disturbs radio telescope observations.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
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
-
The new work overturns that picture.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
-
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
-
Once Hughes plays the ball towards Lacroix, Mateta (red) disrupts City’s central zonal defender, Ruben Dias, and the rest of the Palace attackers diverge towards different zones inside the penalty area.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
-
What Happens Next As AI disrupts the hiring process across different industries, Thompson anticipates more companies could pull back on hiring altogether.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Since then, reports of drone activity have led to disruptions at airports in Denmark and Norway, sparking fears of a long-term campaign that has yet to be officially tied to the Kremlin despite prevailing suspicions.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
-
More than a third of the city’s residents are Hispanic, and despite concerns ahead of the city’s popular Cultura Fest in August, no disruptions occurred.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Why ban books, Postman asked, if no one bothers to read them?—
Time,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
-
What bothers her most is how the refusal seemed to change her brother’s behavior.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
When a violent storm nearly capsizes them, the family awakes in a desert land.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
9 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
Typically caused by a sensitive immune system — which confuses innocuous bacteria for harmful pathogens — symptoms include fever, fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite and weight loss, anemia, skin changes, arthritis and more.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
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The disinformation pushed by these types of influencers confuses audiences, leaves them less informed, and erodes trust in actual journalism.—
Taylor Lorenz,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Influence of geomagnetic disturbances on myocardial infarctions in women and men from Brazil.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Rasmussen said that after Article 4 was recently triggered due to aerial disturbances in Poland and Estonia, Denmark did not feel a need to do the same, Reuters reported.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Upsets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upsets. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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