1
as in disturbs
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
the smallest things can upset us if we're already stressed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in overturns
to turn on one's side or upside down
the narrow boat upsets easily and should be handled with care
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disrupts
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
the change in the bus schedule upset our daily routine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in disruptions
an act or instance of the order of things being disturbed
the move to a new town is just the latest in a series of upsets for my family over the last year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of upsets
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
According to Harvard Health, travel disrupts the body’s natural rhythms — time changes, altered eating schedules, poor sleep — which upsets digestion, especially in people with already-sensitive guts.
—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
13 June 2026
What upsets Harry and Meghan about it?
—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
9 June 2026
The fruit upsets their digestive systems.
—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
7 June 2026
Recognizing the month or opting out sends a message that upsets somebody regardless of the choice.
—
Armando Salguero Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
Saint Mary’s, which made the field by winning the WCC tournament, is not new to NCAA Tournament upsets.
—
Mitch Light,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
But if Mark Stone, the Knights’ version of Gabe Landeskog, remains sidelined, there is no chance Las Vegas upsets the Avs.
—
Beth Rankin,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
This is a precarious tightrope to walk, with bond investors primed to sell if there’s a hint the biggest player in the market upsets the apple cart.
—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
17 May 2026
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
4 July 2026
Morocco and Paraguay pulled off upsets with especially bonkers penalty shootouts.
—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
4 July 2026
Those with very sensitive digestion may need to gradually increase their consumption to avoid gas, bloating, and other digestive upsets.
—
Embry Roberts,
Martha Stewart,
2 July 2026
The round of 32 kicked off to a dramatic start, with Brazil coming from behind to beat Japan 2-1 before Paraguay eliminated Germany in penalty kicks Monday, in one of the most shocking upsets of the tournament so far.
—
Mason Leib,
ABC News,
1 July 2026
Democrats are reeling from upsets in Colorado’s primary Tuesday night as an anti-establishment wave buried a pair of party veterans.
—
Adam Beam,
AJC.com,
1 July 2026
The most electorally significant result in Tuesday’s Colorado primary elections is being overshadowed by flashier upsets.
—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
1 July 2026
The first round of group-play matches have also been exciting, likely juicing demand, with one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history and stellar performances by football’s biggest stars, including Lionel Messi’s hat trick of goals for Argentina.
—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
19 June 2026
The evening was defined by pageantry, knockouts and upsets.
—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
15 June 2026
Verb
House of the Dragon’s season-three premiere upsets the conventional wisdom.
—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
According to Harvard Health, travel disrupts the body’s natural rhythms — time changes, altered eating schedules, poor sleep — which upsets digestion, especially in people with already-sensitive guts.
—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
13 June 2026
What upsets Harry and Meghan about it?
—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
9 June 2026
The fruit upsets their digestive systems.
—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
7 June 2026
Recognizing the month or opting out sends a message that upsets somebody regardless of the choice.
—
Armando Salguero Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
Saint Mary’s, which made the field by winning the WCC tournament, is not new to NCAA Tournament upsets.
—
Mitch Light,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
But if Mark Stone, the Knights’ version of Gabe Landeskog, remains sidelined, there is no chance Las Vegas upsets the Avs.
—
Beth Rankin,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
This is a precarious tightrope to walk, with bond investors primed to sell if there’s a hint the biggest player in the market upsets the apple cart.
—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
17 May 2026
Noun
King amongst those has been Cape Verde, with its heroic, defiant, gritty trip to the knockouts nearly paying off as the Tubarões Azuis almost produced one of the greatest upsets in sports history against defending World Cup champion Argentina.
—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
4 July 2026
Morocco and Paraguay pulled off upsets with especially bonkers penalty shootouts.
—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
4 July 2026
Those with very sensitive digestion may need to gradually increase their consumption to avoid gas, bloating, and other digestive upsets.
—
Embry Roberts,
Martha Stewart,
2 July 2026
The round of 32 kicked off to a dramatic start, with Brazil coming from behind to beat Japan 2-1 before Paraguay eliminated Germany in penalty kicks Monday, in one of the most shocking upsets of the tournament so far.
—
Mason Leib,
ABC News,
1 July 2026
Democrats are reeling from upsets in Colorado’s primary Tuesday night as an anti-establishment wave buried a pair of party veterans.
—
Adam Beam,
AJC.com,
1 July 2026
The most electorally significant result in Tuesday’s Colorado primary elections is being overshadowed by flashier upsets.
—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
1 July 2026
The first round of group-play matches have also been exciting, likely juicing demand, with one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history and stellar performances by football’s biggest stars, including Lionel Messi’s hat trick of goals for Argentina.
—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
19 June 2026
The evening was defined by pageantry, knockouts and upsets.
—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
15 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upsets
Verb
-
Tilling or plowing in the summer disturbs the soil's delicate ecosystem and exposes moist soil to rapid water loss.
-
The pier in Michigan City’s Washington Park disturbs the natural flow of sand along the lakeshore, creating new land east of the pier but starving beaches to the west, an erosion problem repeated by other manmade structures that jut out into Lake Michigan.
Verb
-
Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews’ ruling overturns a June 15 decision by Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher to disqualify the challenger and keep him off the primary ballot.
-
Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews' ruling overturns a June 15 decision by Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher to disqualify the challenger and keep him off the primary ballot.
Verb
-
Live Local also disrupts years of successful and careful planning by the city to promote compatible, consistent development in neighborhoods like Wynwood.
-
After all, the status quo looks safer than making a big bet on something that disrupts everything from operations to revenue.
Noun
-
In Wednesday's hearing, DHS said that a law established this year helped create a team that would provide resources to patients who experience disruptions in care.
-
Transportation planners spent months warning that downtown streets, MARTA stations and major highways could experience significant disruptions on match days.
Verb
-
What bothers me is the foot-dragging, the spinning in circles, the slow degradation of these characters into annoying stereotypes.
-
What bothers me is the implication of a Labubu National Team full of these things.
Verb
-
Based on a tragic true-life incident, director Joe Carnahan's survival thriller stars Zachary Levi as one of four friends who head out on a fishing expedition and their boat capsizes in a nasty storm.
-
The group gets stranded at sea off the coast of Florida when their boat capsizes, leading Coast Guard Captain Timothy Close (Duhamel) to oversee the efforts to bring them home as a storm looms.
Verb
-
These opportunists drown out the core mission, creating a cacophony of competing voices that confuses donors, crowd the inboxes of CEOs and members of Congress with colliding petitions, and paralyzes meaningful action by draining critical funding and attention away from the truly effective groups.
-
But nobody confuses Harvard Extension School classes with the real thing.
Noun
-
Even tiny electromagnetic disturbances can disrupt the quantum states that perform calculations, reducing the accuracy and reliability of the system.
-
To prevent future disturbances, the jail is shifting its operational approach.
Cite this Entry
“Upsets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upsets. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
