Upend
/ʌpˈɛnd/ name, verb
name, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To end up; to set on end. transitive
- 2 set, turn, or stand on end wordnet
- 3 To tip or turn over.
"When he upended the bottle of water over his sleeping sister, the lid popped off and surprised them both."
- 4 become turned or set on end wordnet
- 5 To destroy, invalidate, overthrow, or defeat. figuratively, transitive
"The scientific evidence upended the popular myth."
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- 6 To affect or upset drastically. figuratively, transitive
"By the middle of March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic upended normal life for virtually all Americans."
Proper Noun
- 1 A hamlet in Kirtling parish, East Cambridgeshire district, Cambridgeshire, England (OS grid ref TL7058).
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"The dictator's fall will upend the political landscape."
Etymology
From up- + end.