upside down

adverb

1. with the upper part undermost.
2. in or into complete disorder; topsy-turvy:

   The burglars turned the house upside down.

upside down

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

adverb

1. in an inverted fashion
2. in a chaotic or crazy manner

Derived Forms

• ˌupside-ˈdownness, noun

Other Words From

• upside-down adjective
• upside-downness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of upside down¹

1300–50; re-formation ( upside ) of Middle English upsedoun, earlier up so doun ( up, so ¹, down ¹; sense of so obscure)

Word History and Origins

Origin of upside down¹

C16: variant, by folk etymology, of earlier upsodown

Example Sentences

Like all fowl, turkeys tend to go quiet when held upside down.

From The Daily Beast

“I jumped over a few cars, almost turned it upside down in a pond and came out on top of all four tires,” she wrote in an email.

From The Daily Beast

Viewed in profile, they are upside-down mid-section silhouettes of Pippa Middleton leaning over to check your oil.

From The Daily Beast

Before they go to bed, they turn a cup upside down, to show they have no expectations for tomorrow and always gratitude.

From The Daily Beast

“These people act like we drink a gallon of blood and hang upside down from crucifixes before we go onstage,” Rob Halford says.

From The Daily Beast

Their heads might have been turned upside-down, so absolutely did they tread upon blue ether.

From Project Gutenberg

He drew forth as he spoke the letter in the queen's own hand, turned it upside down, and so presented it to her.

From Project Gutenberg

Nance Watling has been turning everything upside down at the Heath Farm.

From Project Gutenberg

The pedal pipes are put upside down so that their open ends may be toward the music room.

From Project Gutenberg

He hath shut up my ways with square stones, he hath turned my paths upside down.

From Project Gutenberg