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 ( upside ) of Middle English upsedoun, earlier up so doun ( up, so ¹, down ¹; sense of so obscure)

Example Sentences

The federal government has been promoting an upside down pyramid that features steak and cheese at the top, along with vegetables, to go along with its new dietary guidelines.

From The Wall Street Journal

With the world upside down, the trees dip into a velvety expanse of stars.

From Literature

In their place, great garlands of sticks and leaves hung above him, as though a tree were growing upside down from the ceiling.

From Literature

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

The tree, rendered in a rich reddish brown, appears almost upside down—the trunk descending from the upper left corner.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• tangled