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
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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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of upsets
Katherine Dillinger, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
This upsets David and leads to a backstage father-son confrontation.
—Rob Reiner, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2025
This ending only upsets me as much as reality does, which is to say considerably.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 18 Aug. 2025
This nearly upsets Calypso, who laughs and asks why John would want to sacrifice his freedom for companionship when true freedom is best experienced alone.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
This is often discussed in relation to engagement algorithms, which tend to identify the type of content that most upsets us and then boost that content.
—ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2025
Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
There were other upsets in the heats with world-leading 1,500m athlete Azeddine Habz not qualifying, neither Phanuel Koech, the rising Kenyan youngster, who tripped in the final heat.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
After Ensworth’s impressive 20-10 win over defending Division II-AAA state champion McCallie, the Tigers have now been on opposite sides of the state’s biggest TSSAA football upsets in 2025.
—Tyler Palmateer, Nashville Tennessean, 13 Sep. 2025
The Black Knights have been involved in two of the bigger upsets in college football, are 1-1, but very much in the black.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
However, the Tigers managed two top-10 upsets.
—Brady Shanahan, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025
So what exactly are the aforementioned upsets that could’ve just been teed up by the Creative Arts Emmys 2025 wins?
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2025
There are always examples of FCS upsets, too.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 5 Sep. 2025
And just like in sports, there were some nailbiting finishes, a few major upsets and a whole lot of victory laps to take.
—Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
What upsets me the most about that is that people believe it.
—Katherine Dillinger, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
This upsets David and leads to a backstage father-son confrontation.
—Rob Reiner, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2025
This ending only upsets me as much as reality does, which is to say considerably.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 18 Aug. 2025
This nearly upsets Calypso, who laughs and asks why John would want to sacrifice his freedom for companionship when true freedom is best experienced alone.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
This is often discussed in relation to engagement algorithms, which tend to identify the type of content that most upsets us and then boost that content.
—ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
Seven of the eight quarterfinalists in Cincinnati were top seeds, and there was little in the way of upsets along the way.
—Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
There were other upsets in the heats with world-leading 1,500m athlete Azeddine Habz not qualifying, neither Phanuel Koech, the rising Kenyan youngster, who tripped in the final heat.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
After Ensworth’s impressive 20-10 win over defending Division II-AAA state champion McCallie, the Tigers have now been on opposite sides of the state’s biggest TSSAA football upsets in 2025.
—Tyler Palmateer, Nashville Tennessean, 13 Sep. 2025
The Black Knights have been involved in two of the bigger upsets in college football, are 1-1, but very much in the black.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
However, the Tigers managed two top-10 upsets.
—Brady Shanahan, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025
So what exactly are the aforementioned upsets that could’ve just been teed up by the Creative Arts Emmys 2025 wins?
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2025
There are always examples of FCS upsets, too.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 5 Sep. 2025
And just like in sports, there were some nailbiting finishes, a few major upsets and a whole lot of victory laps to take.
—Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upsets
Verb
-
Currently comprising more than 8,300 active satellites, the Starlink constellation also disturbs radio telescope observations.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The water is perfectly clear — until someone brushes the side of the cave or disturbs the soft bottom, sending fine silt particles billowing into the beam of a headlamp.—
Jennifer Walker,
CNN Money,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The new work overturns that picture.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The decision overturns a ruling by a lower-court judge in 2023 who had declared the law unconstitutional after previously blocking it from taking effect in 2021.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Fall fatigue is often linked to the decrease in sunlight, which disrupts your body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm) and can lower serotonin levels, a key mood-regulating hormone.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Creating a hostile environment that disrupts the event or puts others at risk.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The wind industry was already challenged by high interest rates and supply chain disruptions.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
21 Sep. 2025
-
Genetic analysis showed that its switch from green to white came from disruptions to a gene called alb1, which drives melanin synthesis.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Why ban books, Postman asked, if no one bothers to read them?—
Time,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
-
What bothers her most is how the refusal seemed to change her brother’s behavior.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
When a violent storm nearly capsizes them, the family awakes in a desert land.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
9 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
Without it, greenwashing confuses customers and slows adoption.—
Marianne Lehnis,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Yes, God confuses the language and scatters everyone, thereby creating linguistic and cultural diversity.—
John Fugelsang
September 12,
Literary Hub,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Kp is an index used to indicate the severity of the global magnetic disturbances in near-Earth space, NOAA said.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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Because protons and neutrons are shielded from many environmental disturbances, those transitions may carry the subtle imprint of dark matter.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Upsets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upsets. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
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