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
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
But if Duke upsets Virginia, there’s a legitimate chance an 8-5 Blue Devils team — and the entire ACC — would be left out of the CFP, replaced by two mid-major conference champions.
—Charlotte Observer, 3 Dec. 2025
The mandate by India also upsets the unwritten détente between the makers of smartphone operating systems and law enforcement agencies around the world.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 3 Dec. 2025
Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026
The early-season tournaments or invitationals, such as Clearwater two weeks ago or the gem of this past week, the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, are hotbeds for shocking upsets and surprising — and sometimes uncharacteristic — early-season thrillers.
—Molly Keshin, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Athletes from all over the world have seen their fair share of drama, stunning upsets and emotional moments.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 13 Feb. 2026
With group play running through late February, the semifinal picture is still fluid — but there haven’t been many shock upsets yet.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 11 Feb. 2026
UConn’s resume took a few hits this week with both Louisville and Iowa suffering upsets.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
This arguably was one of the biggest upsets in sports history.
—Greg Rajan, Houston Chronicle, 6 Feb. 2026
The remedy for upsets is to be sympathetic and fierce, making tough love the best approach.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 30 Jan. 2026
Or are there a couple of twists — as well as upsets — in the cards?
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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
But if Duke upsets Virginia, there’s a legitimate chance an 8-5 Blue Devils team — and the entire ACC — would be left out of the CFP, replaced by two mid-major conference champions.
—Charlotte Observer, 3 Dec. 2025
The mandate by India also upsets the unwritten détente between the makers of smartphone operating systems and law enforcement agencies around the world.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 3 Dec. 2025
Noun
Pine Ridge, seeded seventh in the eight-team region, has pulled off four straight rankings upsets.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026
The early-season tournaments or invitationals, such as Clearwater two weeks ago or the gem of this past week, the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, are hotbeds for shocking upsets and surprising — and sometimes uncharacteristic — early-season thrillers.
—Molly Keshin, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Athletes from all over the world have seen their fair share of drama, stunning upsets and emotional moments.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 13 Feb. 2026
With group play running through late February, the semifinal picture is still fluid — but there haven’t been many shock upsets yet.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 11 Feb. 2026
UConn’s resume took a few hits this week with both Louisville and Iowa suffering upsets.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
This arguably was one of the biggest upsets in sports history.
—Greg Rajan, Houston Chronicle, 6 Feb. 2026
The remedy for upsets is to be sympathetic and fierce, making tough love the best approach.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 30 Jan. 2026
Or are there a couple of twists — as well as upsets — in the cards?
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upsets
Verb
-
The work that disturbs the most is of a translucent man.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Rather, the goal is to get a statistical sense of which possible futures are likely, which ones are rare, and how our fossil fuel habit disturbs that distribution.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The decision immediately overturns the sweeping tariffs that Trump enacted last year on most imports.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The Constitutional Court overturns the legislature’s impeachment of Prime Minister Han, restoring his powers as the country’s acting leader.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Daylight saving time disrupts the circadian rhythms of the human body, and the abrupt time change has been linked to higher risk of mood disorders and heart diseases, according to the organization.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
3 Mar. 2026
-
All of these subtle discomforts can lead to more tossing and turning, creating a ripple effect that disrupts your sleep and your energy level the following day.—
Kate Van Pelt,
The Spruce,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The disruptions are expected to last for at least several more days.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
-
But as Israel closed checkpoints to the movement of people and goods on Saturday, gas stations saw longer-than-usual lines as residents filled spare canisters in case of supply disruptions.—
CLAUDIA CIOBANU,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
One thing that bothers him, though, is the calls from GVA asking for cash to shore up financing on the underwater properties as loan rates skyrocketed and monthly debt servicing led to losses.—
Paul Flahive,
Austin American Statesman,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Most people are able to put the splint away once their plantar fasciitis no longer bothers them.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
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
-
If the concept confuses, check out their podcast.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
21 Feb. 2026
-
No one confuses kilowatt-hours with productivity, yet no serious economy flies blind without tracking them.—
Noosheen Hashemi,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, the reinforcement learning system was trained using hundreds of millions of simulated disturbances in a virtual environment.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Mar. 2026
-
At the same time, an upper-level system of low pressure out west will steer several atmospheric disturbances into Texas over the next week or so.—
Newsroom Meteorologist,
Austin American Statesman,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Upsets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upsets. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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