VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

upended

verb·Academic

Last updated

UK/ʌpˈendɪd/
US/ʌpˈendɪd/

“upended” is a form of “upend”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. verbtransitive

    Turned something upside down or set it on its end.

    Grammar: Past tense and past participle of upend: he upended the box.

    Patterns

    • upended something

    She upended the bucket and sat on it.

    The wave upended our small boat.

    He upended the bag to find his keys.

  2. verbtransitivefigurative

    Disturbed or completely changed something, such as a plan or an established way of doing things.

    Grammar: Figurative: the news upended our plans.

    Patterns

    • upended something

    The pandemic upended the whole industry.

    A surprise result upended the election.

    The move upended our daily routine.

Common combinations

upended lives
The flood upended lives across the town.
upended plans
The storm upended our travel plans.
upended the market
A new app upended the market.
upended a table
Angrily, he upended the table.

Synonyms and how they differ

overturned
Overturned suits a physical flip or a court decision, and is slightly more formal.
disrupted
Disrupted is milder and means interrupted, not turned over completely.
capsized
Capsized applies only to boats.
toppled
Toppled means knocked something tall to fall, rather than turned upside down.

Opposites

rightedrestored

Word family

upend verb
to turn upside down
upending verb
turning upside down
end noun
the last part or point

Commonly confused: upended or upset?

upended vs upset

Upset can mean spill or distress, while upended is mainly about turning over or disrupting.

Practice

The sudden job loss completely ____ the family's daily routine.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “upended”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words