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

“I had to put the table upside down and use a chisel and grinder to remove as much material as I could. It took us three tries to get the table right.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

I think she realized that you can keep playing it safe, and life can still end up completely upside down.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the effect of the conflict on food production "will turn the world supply upside down, and it will have a dramatic impact".

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

I also have a swing to go upside down on.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

I didn’t know how to explain to him that since Yakov’s death, the world had turned upside down, everything going topsy-turvy like a tumble down a rabbit hole.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros