1
as in defeated
to achieve a victory over
the team won the division play-offs, but was upended in the final championship game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in erected
to fix in an upright position
we had to upend the sofa in order to fit it into the elevator
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of upended
Ana Swanson, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Running Point Kate Hudson stars as Isla Gordon, a woman whose life is upended when a scandal forces her brother to resign from his position, and she is appointed president of the Los Angeles Waves, one of the most storied professional basketball franchises, and her family business.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
For years, executives in traditional industries dismissed AI as a distant concern, only to find their sectors upended by rapid advancements in technology.
—Bryce Hoffman, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
Sudan Civil War Sudan marks yet another example of a nation in which a recent transition to democratic rule was upended by a military takeover and internal conflict.
—Tom O'Connor, Newsweek, 28 Dec. 2024
But DeSantis and the Legislature upended that arrangement in early 2023 and put the governor in charge of appointing board members.
—Skyler Swisher, Orlando Sentinel, 27 Dec. 2024
In a voice-over, Ghost explains that there was a widespread apocalyptic event that upended American life decades earlier.
—Natalia Winkelman, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
When the pandemic upended her real estate career, Shoemaker picked herself back up and started her current job.
—Katie Shepherd, Baltimore Sun, 26 Dec. 2024
Streaming has upended that and the disappointment is real.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
The economic outlook of the Los Angeles area, with a population larger than most states, has been clouded by events that have upended the entertainment industry.
—Ana Swanson, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Running Point Kate Hudson stars as Isla Gordon, a woman whose life is upended when a scandal forces her brother to resign from his position, and she is appointed president of the Los Angeles Waves, one of the most storied professional basketball franchises, and her family business.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
For years, executives in traditional industries dismissed AI as a distant concern, only to find their sectors upended by rapid advancements in technology.
—Bryce Hoffman, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
Sudan Civil War Sudan marks yet another example of a nation in which a recent transition to democratic rule was upended by a military takeover and internal conflict.
—Tom O'Connor, Newsweek, 28 Dec. 2024
But DeSantis and the Legislature upended that arrangement in early 2023 and put the governor in charge of appointing board members.
—Skyler Swisher, Orlando Sentinel, 27 Dec. 2024
In a voice-over, Ghost explains that there was a widespread apocalyptic event that upended American life decades earlier.
—Natalia Winkelman, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
When the pandemic upended her real estate career, Shoemaker picked herself back up and started her current job.
—Katie Shepherd, Baltimore Sun, 26 Dec. 2024
Streaming has upended that and the disappointment is real.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upended
Verb
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According to a forthcoming study in the journal Archaeology International, the circle might have been erected to unify Britain’s ancient inhabitants.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Dec. 2024
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Within days, gallows were erected not far from Campus Martius, near Farmer Street and Gratiot, by the downtown library and the Compuware Building.—
Dan Austin,
Detroit Free Press,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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His son, Kenneth, moved meat packing plants to where his cattle were raised and saw profits soar.—
Patrick Saunders,
The Denver Post,
6 Jan. 2025
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Rodgers’ 43-yard pass to Lazard helped set up his four-yard touchdown pass to Adams, which raised the Jets lead to 25-13.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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And Valverde has mastered this facet of the game, with five of his six goals this season coming from shots from outside the penalty area — the most by any player in Europe’s top five domestic leagues.—
Mario Cortegana,
The Athletic,
23 Dec. 2024
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Things happened—or didn’t happen—depending on who had the ear of the president at any moment and who had mastered the dark arts of bureaucratic warfare.—
Henry Farrell,
Foreign Affairs,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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And the lamb, which knew what weeping meant, lifted itself from the hay.—
Karen Zautyk,
New York Daily News,
24 Dec. 2024
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An hour later, American said flights were again beginning to board and the FAA lifted the nationwide ground stop.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
24 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Additionally, Azerbaijani authorities have dispatched a high-level delegation, including the country’s Emergency Situations Minister and Deputy General Prosecutor, to Aktau to lead an on-site investigation.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Dec. 2024
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The Manchester Fire Department as well as the Ambulance Service of Manchester were the first dispatched to the scene, which was in an area near the Manchester and South Windsor border, fire officials said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Scarlett Johansson has conquered the superhero franchise, been nominated for several prestigious awards and years ago made her way into Saturday Night Live’s prestigious Five-Timers Club.—
Kevin Dolak,
The Hollywood Reporter,
7 Jan. 2025
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By contrast, Xinjiang was conquered in the mid-18th century by the Qing dynasty (around the same time the British were marching on India) and then claimed by the current People’s Republic of China after its formation in 1949.—
Michael Schuman,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In 2024, the 1,140 bhp Valkyrie also beat the Silverstone lap record with a time of 1 minutes 56.42 seconds.—
Matthew MacConnell,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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Nothing beats a bullet. March 31, 2025 All products are independently selected by our editors.—
Alaina Chou,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Upended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upended. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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