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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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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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

This is half of what Maura wants people to understand; that there are people behind the statistics, that there are children who have grown up without a father and spouses who saw their life upended, never to be righted again. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026 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

Verb

The designer also referenced the controversies that upended his professional career and earned him a criminal record in Paris. — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 Several years into a deep recession, the near-collapse of the country’s entire infrastructure has upended Cubans’ daily lives, directly affecting their physical and mental health. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026 During their time apart, the world in which the soulful Southern rock outfit from Athens, Alabama, rose first to prominence and then to stardom, was upended in just about every way that mattered — socially, politically, and musically. — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2026 This year marks a quarter-century since the hijacked plane attacks by al-Qaida militants that claimed nearly 3,000 lives in the three locations and upended American foreign policy and national security. — ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026 West first teased the album in March 2020, initially targeting a summer release, just as the COVID-19 pandemic upended the music industry and the rhythms of live performance. — Desjah Altvater, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026 The moms, dads, wives, husbands, daughters and sons whose lives were upended. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026 In Minnesota, a chaotic and violent operation upended the city for weeks in January. — Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026 If American prosecutors file charges, the extradition process could be upended. — Bill Chappell, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for upended

Verb

Tysie Gallagher, Terri Harper and Caroline Dubois beat Americans Brandi Robinson, Miranda Reyes and Amelia Moore, respectively, earlier in the night, while Reina Tellez defeated Jessica Barry for the United States’ only victory.

— Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Taylor pitched a career-high 2 2/3 scoreless relief innings and was credited with the win as the Sox defeated the Twins 7-4 in front of 28,140.

— LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of defeated

Verb

In 2021, Parton asked Tennessee lawmakers to withdraw a bill that would have allowed a statue of her to be erected on the grounds of the state Capitol.

— Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Fans of Dolly Parton have erected a memorial at the legendary singer-songwriter’s star on Nashville’s Music City Walk of Fame, placing flowers, cards and candles that continue to burn into the morning hours.

— Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of erected

Verb

Joan Rubinger overcame a catastrophic biking accident that left her paralyzed to become an influential pain-relief specialist helping top-tier athletes get back on the field after acute and chronic injuries.

— Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
Judith Kreeger overcame gender barriers, work challenges and a surprise career.

— Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of overcame

Verb

Jon Batiste is one of the most interesting contemporary musicians out there, a musical prodigy who began performing at age 8 and has mastered multiple instruments.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026
Kids can try the sheet again and again until the facts are mastered.

— Nicole Harris, Parents, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of mastered

Verb

Round 8 saw Itauma unleash a salvo of punches on Hrgović, who took them well.

— Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
The Falcons took a lengthy look at their starters and survived a second-half push to earn a 17-12 victory over the Dolphins on Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium.

— Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of took

Verb

Around midnight on Friday morning, a member of a team dispatched to monitor the lake told CCTV the barrier forming the lake stretched about 150 meters long and 40 or 50 meters high.

— Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
The report states that on the morning of May 23, police were dispatched to Jacobs’ home near Green Bay because of a disturbance between Jacobs and a woman described as his girlfriend.

— Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of dispatched

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“Upended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upended. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of upended

adjective

verb

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