capsize
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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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.
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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.
verb
Synonym Usage
See upset.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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capsizalnoun
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capsizableadjective
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noncapsizableadjective
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uncapsizableadjective
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uncapsizedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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capsizesimple
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capsizessimple
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have capsizedperfect
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has capsizedperfect
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am capsizingprogressive
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are capsizingprogressive
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is capsizingprogressive
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have been capsizingperfect progressive
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has been capsizingperfect progressive
Past
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capsizedsimple
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had capsizedperfect
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was capsizingprogressive
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were capsizingprogressive
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had been capsizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of capsize
First recorded in 1780–90; origin uncertain
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."
Vocabulary lists containing capsize
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“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
As the boat continued to capsize, passengers shouted to a passing boat for help, but it did not stop - possibly because, according to him, it was relatively small.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2025
A high tide can wash people offshore and capsize small boats near shore.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025
In the high north, they pose an additional threat: Sea spray carried at high wind speeds can freeze upon contact with a ship and, if allowed to build up, capsize it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 30, 2025
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
But if The Dessoug capsizes or breaks apart, none of those letters will be found.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
At least 41 people died after a ferry capsized off the coast of Guyana over the weekend, the government said Tuesday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
An aging ferry carrying more than 100 people capsized off the coast of Guyana, with 67 saved and rescue teams searching for the rest, officials said Sunday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
Chris Lewa believes all this suggests that the boats capsized, one several hours after leaving Sin Tet Maw, the other after several days of sailing south east.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
One person is dead and two remain missing after a recreational boat carrying 19 people capsized and sank in the San Francisco Bay on Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
His boat capsized, then righted itself and began turning over and over; each time his exasperated head bobbed up, he gasped for his possibly final breath.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
Kitson told the Kiskadee Watch, a Guyana news outlet, that he fears his wife and their daughter died in the capsizing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 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
In one of the worst months, in December 2021, more than 20 migrants drowned in several capsizing incidents off the Malaysian coastline.
From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2025
Winds picked up and waves became dangerous, capsizing several boats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2025
Merrily up the river and down they go, without a thought to capsizing.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
