upside down

American  

adverb

1. with the upper part undermost.

2. in or into complete disorder; topsy-turvy.

   The burglars turned the house upside down.

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upside down British  

adjective

1. (usually postpositive; upside-down when prenominal) turned over completely; inverted

2. informal (upside-down when prenominal) confused; muddled; topsy-turvy

   an upside-down world

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adverb

1. in an inverted fashion

2. in a chaotic or crazy manner

Other Word Forms

• upside-down
  adjective
• upside-downness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of upside down

1300–50; re-formation ( see upside) of Middle English upsedoun, earlier up so doun ( see up, so ¹, down ¹; sense of so obscure)

Example Sentences

Upside down Hawaiian flags, a sign distress, billowed in gusty winds.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 21, 2023

Upside down, staring directly at blue skies above, was not how Helio Castroneves planned to start his march toward a record-tying fourth win at the Indianapolis 500.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2015

Upside down in the water they seemed almost like another forest, an upside-down forest to match the real one.

From "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen

Upside down or wedged across a channel under water, trees were all the same to Hervey Willetts.

From Tom Slade's Double Dare by Owen, R. Emmett (Robert Emmett)

Old Bill Barnacle sticks to his ship, He never is ill on the stormiest trip; Upside down he crosses the ocean— If you do that you enjoy the motion.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 159, December 8, 1920 by Seaman, Owen, Sir