upturned

[uhp-turnd, uhp-turnd]

See more synonyms for upturned on Thesaurus.com

adjective

turned or directed upward: upturned eyes.
turned over; upside down: an upturned canoe.
having a turned-up end: an upturned nose.

Origin of upturned

First recorded in 1585–95; up- + turn + -ed²

upturn

[verb uhp-turn, uhp-turn; noun uhp-turn]

verb (used with object)

to turn up or over: The farmer upturned clumps of sod with his spade.
to cause disorder; upheave: The storm upturned the town.
to direct or turn upward: She upturned her face toward heaven and prayed.

verb (used without object)

to turn up or upward: Her eyes upturned to see his face.

noun

chaos or extreme disorder, as in society; an upheaval.
an upward turn, or a changing and rising movement, as in prices or business.

Origin of upturn

1300–50; Middle English: to overturn; see up-, turn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for upturned

Contemporary Examples of upturned

But, as the crinkled and upturned noses of the techie rich attest, the city has an abundance of street people.
Clean Crack Pipes for All! San Francisco’s Final Social Justice Frontier
Michael Daly
January 31, 2014
Atop her head sat an upturned, dented little metal bucket—recycling turned into millinery.
Paris Fashion Week: Redefining Femininity at Comme des Garçons and Rick Owens
Robin Givhan
September 30, 2012
She was the observer, not us, which she underlined by bringing out a camera and photographing the upturned crowd.
London's Living Sculptures
Anthony Haden-Guest
August 6, 2009
Tears were so ready and came first into my closed eyes and then spilled vividly on my upturned—by him—cheeks.
How I Found My Voice
Carly Simon
June 7, 2009

Historical Examples of upturned

And then she was on the sidewalk, her face, upturned to his, vivacious with excitement.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance
She was almost startled at the sweet yet sad face that was upturned to her gaze.
The Elm Tree Tales
F. Irene Burge Smith
He sat upon an upturned box, with an empty pipe between his lips.
Murder Point
Coningsby Dawson
He caught her to him in a great embrace and kissed her pleading, upturned face.
The Night Riders
Ridgwell Cullum
The people were twisting and turning like worms on an upturned turf.
The Scapegoat
Hall Caine

British Dictionary definitions for upturned

upturn

verb (ʌpˈtɜːn)

to turn or cause to turn up, over, or upside down
(tr) to create disorder
(tr) to direct upwards

noun (ˈʌpˌtɜːn)

an upward turn, trend, or improvement
an upheaval or commotion

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for upturned

upturn

1868, "upturned part," from up + turn. Meaning "improvement" (especially in economics) is from 1930.