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
Rob Tanner, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
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
Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
Continue reading … FROM FOX SPORTS – A week of upsets and close wins propelled a new NFL team to the top of the latest edition of Tom Brady's power rankings.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
With upsets keeping divisional races entertaining, Week 6 offers a chance for several surprise teams to solidify their place among the contenders, and for stumbling powerhouses to stop their slides before things get out of hand.
—J.j. Bailey, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
If Week 6 of college football was about upsets, then Week 7 was about showdowns across the country.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Oct. 2025
Who among us hasn’t fantasized in the shower about exacting elaborate revenge for petty upsets, or lain awake trying to reframe our humiliations as epic tales of triumph?
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2025
But this is the NFL, a week-to-week league where upsets are the norm.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 11 Oct. 2025
Southern Nazarene pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Division II history on Halloween night.
—Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2025
The Philadelphia Eagles and the Buffalo Bills were the only two unbeaten teams this season heading into Week 5 but both saw their unbeaten records on the season end on a weekend of upsets in the NFL.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
England managers have been guilty in the past of trying to shoehorn their best talents into a team, even if that upsets the balance.
—Rob Tanner, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
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
Meanwhile, hiccups and upsets to technology, to your work routine or when dealing with a pet might occur.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
Continue reading … FROM FOX SPORTS – A week of upsets and close wins propelled a new NFL team to the top of the latest edition of Tom Brady's power rankings.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
With upsets keeping divisional races entertaining, Week 6 offers a chance for several surprise teams to solidify their place among the contenders, and for stumbling powerhouses to stop their slides before things get out of hand.
—J.j. Bailey, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
If Week 6 of college football was about upsets, then Week 7 was about showdowns across the country.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Oct. 2025
Who among us hasn’t fantasized in the shower about exacting elaborate revenge for petty upsets, or lain awake trying to reframe our humiliations as epic tales of triumph?
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2025
But this is the NFL, a week-to-week league where upsets are the norm.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 11 Oct. 2025
Southern Nazarene pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Division II history on Halloween night.
—Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2025
The Philadelphia Eagles and the Buffalo Bills were the only two unbeaten teams this season heading into Week 5 but both saw their unbeaten records on the season end on a weekend of upsets in the NFL.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 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 zoning board's vote effectively overturns a different board's decision blocking demolition of the Alpine lodge.—
Kelly Meyerhofer,
jsonline.com,
8 Oct. 2025
-
The order overturns the Biden administration’s 2024 decision blocking a 211-mile road over concerns that mining could threaten caribou and fish vital to dozens of Native subsistence communities.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
My success — scholarships, businesses, properties — disrupts both narratives.—
Sofía Pereda,
USA Today,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Pairing incompatible flavors disrupts the harmony of the charcuterie creation.—
Catharine Kaufman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
According to researchers, the innovative approach promises to bypass the efficiency loss and signal disruptions previously caused by converting light, paving the way for faster, safer, and more robust global quantum communication.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Flight disruptions caused by controllers missing work might add to the pressure on Congress to reach an agreement to end the shutdown.—
Josh Funk,
Fortune,
11 Oct. 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
-
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
-
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
-
Slower rotators, the researchers found, are more easily jolted into a wobble by impacts, while faster ones resist those disturbances, according to the statement.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The popular Bandai Namco childlike-horror franchise Little Nightmares is back and with more disturbances in tow.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Upsets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upsets. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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