UPENDED Synonyms: 147 Similar and Opposite Words

upended 1 of 2

adjective

as in lifted

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upended

2 of 2

verb

past tense of upend

as in defeated

to achieve a victory over the team won the division play-offs, but was upended in the final championship game

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in erected

to fix in an upright position we had to upend the sofa in order to fit it into the elevator

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of upended

Adjective

Competing factions of the notorious Sinaloa cartel have been engaged in a bloody, almost two-year civil war that has left thousands dead and upended life in Culiacán and elsewhere in the state. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026 Many of the President’s posts on the platform have upended markets. — Chad De Guzman, Time, 17 July 2026 Now travel back to 2019, before the pandemic upended real estate. — Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 13 July 2026 The series followed Jane Villanueva, played by Rodriguez, whose life is unexpectedly upended after she is accidentally artificially inseminated. — Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 10 July 2026 Rutte’s predecessor, Stoltenberg, has written in his memoir about chairing a 2018 summit that Trump nearly upended. — Lorne Cook, Fortune, 5 July 2026 Trump's push to make that change upended how the constitutional guarantee – long considered a bedrock American principle – had historically been understood. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 30 June 2026 Merchandise was displayed in or atop packing crates and upended barrels. — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2026 The June 2 primary for California governor shattered spending records and upended precedent. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 24 June 2026

Verb

Teams are not likely to be upended by the game-changing technology the way other investments might be. — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026 Their lives are upended by the horrific attacks of October 7 and they’re forced to put the pieces back together. — Marlow Stern, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026 Many of the same market forces that have upended college sports in the past decade are working their way down to younger athletes, with many of the same results. — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 21 Aug. 2026 New research is beginning to quantify just how much the introduction of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the adoption of reuse, and the vehicle’s high cadence have upended the global launch market, Ars reports. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026 What were once basic tenets — amateurism, transfers, years of eligibility — have been upended. — Seth Emerson, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026 Also missing is any clear acknowledgment of Singer’s fear for the horrors in store for Antonapoulos, and the dramatic irony created by Antonapoulos’ own seeming obliviousness to how his life is being upended. — Billy J. Stratton, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026 Instead, the match was turned into a Fatal 4-Way before the bell rang, and Zayn was upended by another surprise return in the form of Kevin Owens. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 And Netflix — the company that upended the pay-TV model more than a decade ago with binge-watching, password-sharing, and no advertisements — has reversed course on many of its previous strategies in an effort to keep investors happy. — Alex Sherman,lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for upended

Verb

In Saturday’s semifinals, Pegula beat defending champion Iga Swiatek and Gauff defeated Sara Bejlek to set up the first all-American women’s final at the Cincinnati Open in 56 years.

— Jeff Wallner, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
India is leading the two-match series having defeated Sri Lanka by 165 runs in the first match in Galle.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of defeated

Verb

By 1950, the city had erected a colossal arena (significantly over budget, forcing the city to dip into its special projects fund) with 12,500 east-facing seats, the Press-Telegram reported.

— Kate Raphael, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026
The team is analyzing microplastics painstakingly collected from plants, rocks, water samples and sticky traps erected along the shoreline.

— Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of erected

Verb

Wahab overcame late intervention from the pro-Israel lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, which spent millions of dollars on ads to try to defeat her and boost opponent Melissa Hernandez.

— Joey Garrison, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
Through a highly coordinated grassroots campaign, Nixon overcame a $15-million fundraising deficit against Vindman in a state where affordability, high property insurance costs and public infrastructure strain were top concerns for many voters.

— Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of overcame

Verb

That sentiment illustrates a central tension raised by many of the actors who shared their stories with CNN.

— Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
Rights groups have raised concerns about the treatment of migrants and asylum seekers in Tunisia since the EU agreement, including reports of collective expulsions, racial violence, arbitrary detention and abuses against Black migrants.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of raised

Verb

Even the most dependent of the United States’ allies have mastered the arts of foot-dragging, leash-slipping, and lobbying Washington.

— MARC LYNCH, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor who became chair after his 2004 Presidential campaign, told me that part of the job is learning how to tune out the complaints, something Martin has apparently not yet mastered.

— Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of mastered

Verb

Black took eight carries in Thursday’s victory over the Chargers and turned them into 33 yards.

— Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 23 Aug. 2026
With Copper scoring 17 points in the third quarter the Mercury got within one point before the Dream took a 73-68 lead into the fourth quarter.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of took

Verb

Hanke even survived a close call when Yugoslav strongman Slobodan Milosevic spread rumors the economist was a French spy and dispatched a hit squad to assassinate him.

— Shawn Tully, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
Crews were dispatched early Thursday morning and closed one lane of eastbound traffic in the area for the repairs, Figueroa said.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of dispatched

Verb

By contrast, when the Russians conquered Polatsk, in modern Belarus, in 1563, Ivan reportedly ordered the drowning of all Jews who refused to convert to Christianity.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
The Art of Loving conquered the rankings for a month, while Messy peaked in second place on both rundowns.

— Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of conquered

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“Upended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upended. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of upended

adjective

verb

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