upside down
Americanadverb
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with the upper part undermost.
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in or into complete disorder; topsy-turvy.
The burglars turned the house upside down.
adjective
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(usually postpositive; upside-down when prenominal) turned over completely; inverted
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informal (upside-down when prenominal) confused; muddled; topsy-turvy
an upside-down world
adverb
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in an inverted fashion
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in a chaotic or crazy manner
Other Word Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It turned our life upside down," said Karen.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Turn a tire upside down or on its side, and the water will flow within it to whatever section is now at the bottom.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
AI is turning that assumption upside down, and more aspiring entrepreneurs are going it alone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
A bricklayer who coaches eight-to-12-year-olds, Cordero is using the football fever whipped up by the World Cup to try to bring a little joy to children whose lives were turned upside down by the disaster.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
With the world upside down, the trees dip into a velvety expanse of stars.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
