capsize

American  

[kap-sahyz, kap-sahyz] / ˈkæp saɪz, kæpˈsaɪz /

verb (used with or without object)

• capsizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• capsized,
  past participle,  past
• capsizing
  present participle

1. to turn bottom up; overturn: With a strong kick he capsized the stool.

   The ferry capsized and sank in minutes.

   With a strong kick he capsized the stool.

2. to upset or collapse: He has a secret that could capsize his career.

   Their marriage almost capsized when they lost their only child.

   He has a secret that could capsize his career.

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capsize British  

/ kæpˈsaɪz /

verb

1. to overturn accidentally; upset

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Synonym Usage

See upset.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• capsizal
  noun
• capsizable
  adjective
• noncapsizable
  adjective
• uncapsizable
  adjective
• uncapsized
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• capsizing
  present
• capsized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• capsize
  simple
• capsizes
  simple
• have capsized
  perfect
• has capsized
  perfect
• am capsizing
  progressive
• are capsizing
  progressive
• is capsizing
  progressive
• have been capsizing
  perfect progressive
• has been capsizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• capsized
  simple
• had capsized
  perfect
• was capsizing
  progressive
• were capsizing
  progressive
• had been capsizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will capsize
  simple
• will have capsized
  perfect
• will be capsizing
  progressive
• will have been capsizing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of capsize

First recorded in 1780–90; origin uncertain

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Explanation

To capsize is to overturn, and it usually happens to boats. Don't rock the boat, baby, or you might just capsize. When a boat tips over in a lake, it capsizes, and so does a boy who is sitting on an inner tube when it flips suddenly. Anything overturning in a body of water can be said to capsize. Sometimes vessels that capsize can be righted, like a canoe, and other times they sink to the bottom of the sea. The origin of capsize is uncertain, though it may be related to the Spanish word capuzar, "sink by the head."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

capsize capsizes capsized capsizing

“No single film is going to capsize the boat,” said Stephen Galloway, dean of the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

When these icebergs capsize, they clash violently with the “mother” glacier.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

But survivors then told the BBC that coastguards had caused the migrant boat to capsize following a botched attempt to tow it.

From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026

“The supply shocks from either would already rock the boat; both together would capsize global markets like a perfect storm,” said Raj.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 12, 2026

Ares and Hermes were falling behind, riding side by side as Clarisse went sword-on-javelin with Connor StolL If we took one more hit to our wheel, I knew we would capsize.

From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan

Until that date is set we can only quote what Helly tells Mark S. before he turns on himself and capsizes our expectations.

From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2025

It is the latest in a string of migrant boat capsizes off Tunisia's coast in the last few days, with five others sinking in the past four days.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2023

The American boat had a number of capsizes and crashes, including one in which wing trimmer Paul Campbell-James broke a leg.

From Seattle Times ● May 13, 2022

In the film’s fablelike opening montage, we see a Sudanese couple, Bol and Rial, escape their homeland in an overflowing raft; as their boat capsizes in a storm, they lose their daughter.

From New York Times ● Aug. 27, 2021

Shop signs swing toward the heat from their brackets; a potted hedge comes sliding across the rubble and capsizes.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

One man was killed and two people were hospitalized after their fishing boat struck rocks and capsized beneath the Golden Gate Bridge on Thursday, according to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

Their fishing boat capsized on Saturday, leaving Aghnaanga without food or water for two days at sea, the boy's mother wrote on Facebook.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

The reported 15-month turnaround of the Kang Kon after it capsized illustrates how Kim is giving priority to the modernization of his Soviet-era navy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

Rescuers are continuing their search for 18 passengers of a ferry which capsized off the coast of northern Cyprus on Sunday.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

The canoe rocked severely, and before Abuelita could pull the twins down beside her, it capsized.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

The rip currents and massive surf are capable of capsizing small boats, knocking people off jetties and pulling swimmers out to sea.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

However, these were consistently located 60–80 kilometres from the waterfront, so they are not likely to have been caused by capsizing icebergs.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

"Based on the statements of the crew ... there was no alarm or public address that took place during the emergency prior to the sinking and capsizing of the ship," he said.

From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026

Before the U.S. military strikes, he said, his main concerns were capsizing, drowning and arrest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025

The ship was trying to turn upside down, kept from capsizing only by the strength of its masts where they tangled in the Teeth.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

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