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 dangerous sea conditions could capsize or damage both small and large vessels, the weather service warned.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 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
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
I held on, sure we would capsize, but somehow she brought us through and spurred the horses across the finish line.
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
In riverine communities, whereas a high proportion of men often know how to swim, few women do, meaning they are particularly at risk if a boat capsizes.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
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
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 that scene, her character, Maria, falls into the water along with the seven Von Trapp children as the boat capsizes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2019
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
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
Upon arriving at the scene, personnel did not see evidence of a fire, but found a three-deck pontoon boat capsized with one person who was severely injured in the water.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Fifteen people have died after a speedboat carrying Indian tourists capsized near a island in the south of Vietnam, according to local media reports.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Cinderella’s slippers, which were airman’s boots painted silver, were capsized side by side under a golden throne.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
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
"I'm assuming it's just a freak accident," he said, though he added he "was not sure how avoidable" the ferry capsizing was.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2025
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
“I don’t want you capsizing in a squall.”
From "Stuart Little" by E.B. White
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.
