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

"It's demoralising, it turns your world upside down," he said.

From BBC

Nearby, a series of military helmets hanging upside down from the ceiling at various levels contains small blue puzzle pieces representing a piece of the sky.

From Salon

They also measured how quickly the turtles could right themselves when flipped upside down in water, which served as a simple indicator of physical condition.

From Science Daily

Lamia’s life is turned upside down as she faces one obstacle after another to bake the cake.

From Los Angeles Times

"I would walk to the end of the earth, backwards, forwards, upside down, barefoot, to make sure my kids have a better future," says Ricky.

From BBC