upend
Americanverb (used with object)
-
upends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
upended,
past participle, past
-
upending
present participle
-
to set on end, as a barrel or ship.
-
to affect drastically or radically, as tastes, opinions, reputations, or systems.
-
to defeat in competition, as in boxing or business.
verb (used without object)
-
upends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
upended,
past participle, past
-
upending
present participle
-
to become upended.
-
to place the body back-end up, as a dabbling duck.
verb
-
to turn or set or become turned or set on end
-
(tr) to affect or upset drastically
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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upendsimple
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upendssimple
-
have upendedperfect
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has upendedperfect
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am upendingprogressive
-
are upendingprogressive
-
is upendingprogressive
-
have been upendingperfect progressive
-
has been upendingperfect progressive
Past
-
upendedsimple
-
had upendedperfect
-
was upendingprogressive
-
were upendingprogressive
-
had been upendingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of upend
Explanation
When you upend something, you flip it over or tip it on one side. Tell your sister you won't play checkers with her anymore if she continues to upend the board angrily every time she loses. To move the table from one room to another, you might have to upend it so it'll fit through the door, resting it on one end. The other way to upend something is to invert it, or turn it onto the opposite side, the way you upend a bottle of root beer over a glass or upend your school bag and shake the contents onto your bed to find that lost pack of gum.
Vocabulary lists containing upend
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:
Residents had challenged the evictions in the Delhi High Court, arguing that moving so far from their jobs, schools and communities would upend their lives.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Top law firms have been racing to remake themselves in recent years as talent wars and the threat of artificial intelligence upend their business models.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
False charges of AI cheating can tarnish academic records or upend career prospects of students.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
New Apple CEO John Ternus may want to watch his back, because Meta Platforms is making a play to upend the smartphone giant’s ecosystem, analysts say.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
They would upend the Mona Lisa investigation—and they would change the course of modern art.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
And in the high-fashion world, model Gabbriette Bechtel embodies the edginess of contemporary Latina Goth looks, one that upends vintage Chicana beauty conventions by pushing them into a more avant-garde space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
“It’s kind of an investment that you can’t really get to without either borrowing against it or selling, which then upends your life. For me, it just doesn’t feel like it’s liquid enough.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
His starting point upends the usual China-debt story.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Jennifer Cowan, chief executive of Connections for Children, an agency that helps Westside and South Bay families navigate child-care options and subsidies, said losing spots upends family routines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Trust him to cling to the surfboard as it upends in the froth of the latest wave.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Airbus kept to its target of delivering a record 870 commercial aircraft this year, beating the 863 it handed over to airlines in 2019 before the Covid pandemic upended the industry.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Its operations have likewise been upended by Houthi attacks, which on Oct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
Holmes upended their careers and lives, the couple have said “I do.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
The rally in consumer staples also upended a longstanding market dynamic.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
Bursting through the door, the bodyguard upended Matt and gave him a whack on the back.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
Major U.S. stock indexes fell as Intel lost 29%, upending the AI trade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
A record-breaking El Nino will likely force the world's top chefs to rethink their menus ahead of droughts, floods and heatwaves upending global food systems.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
Ford made their name with the micro-indie, micro-focused “Test Pattern,” an act of upending as it dissected an interracial relationship’s fault lines in a moment of crisis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Life has a way of upending even the best financial plans.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
“That’s sickening,” Seth said, upending the bottle over his steak.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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