upend

verb

up·​end ˌəp-ˈend How to pronounce upend (audio)
upended; upending; upends

transitive verb

1
: to set or stand on end
2
a
: to affect to the point of being upset or flurried
a … literary shocker, designed to upend the credulous matronsWolcott Gibbs
b

intransitive verb

: to rise on an end

Examples of upend in a Sentence

He upended the bicycle to fix its flat tire. I upended the bucket to use as a stool. The security inspector upended my bag and dumped everything out. A giant wave upended the surfers. The midfielder was upended before he got the ball.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
However, between Marfa and Denton, a phone call upended his travel plans and his life. Aaron Sullivan, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025 In those years, political turmoil swept through the Korean peninsula with a casual cruelty, upending lives. Brad Riew, People.com, 29 July 2025 Every era brings its own reasons to fret about the state of the world, but the headline-news topics of late—wars, deportations, layoffs—are upending lives in profound ways at mass scale. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 26 July 2025 Since returning to office, President Trump has moved swiftly to upend decades of federal policy—from education to healthcare to vaccines...but nowhere more aggressively than immigration. July 23, NPR, 23 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for upend

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of upend was in 1823

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Upend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upend. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

upend

verb
up·​end ˌə-ˈpend How to pronounce upend (audio)
: to set, stand, or rise on end

More from Merriam-Webster on upend

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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