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
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
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Recent Examples of upsets
Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Daisy, whose backstory includes, in the first episode, a brief glimpse of Elisabeth Moss’ June, certainly upsets things, most often by reacting to Gilead’s penchant for public atrocities the way a non-sociopath outsider would.
—Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
By amalgamating these museological devices into the artwork, Aram directly upsets the threefold impulse to pierce form with meaning, to arrest color with identity, and to neutralize bodies with limits.
—Julian Stern, Artforum, 24 Mar. 2026
If iron upsets your stomach, take it with a small snack.
—Sara Hoffman, Verywell Health, 13 Mar. 2026
This upsets her husband, Paul, who has returned with his and Roxie’s two young sons.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
If Finland upsets Canada, three other Panthers — Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola — would play for the gold.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2026
Hayley’s very upset by it, and that upsets Mickey, and that’s probably one of the biggest driving motivations for him, not just to save his own life, but to save his daughter and his family from the ramifications of this.
—Pat Saperstein, Variety, 7 Feb. 2026
Or, imagine that Uruguay upsets Spain in Group H.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Monkeys in the tourism hotspot have apparently learned to eat dirt to soothe stomach upsets caused by eating too much sweet, fatty and salty snacks fed to them by visitors, a new study found.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2026
Or the 2019 Lightning and 2023 Bruins, which both flamed out in all-time first-round upsets.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
While college baseball observers look at the wins as upsets, eighth-year coach Jonathan Hernandez would prefer his players not.
—Eric Olson, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
His arrival and ascendance to being that go-to guy for all sorts of goodies upsets established power structures.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2026
The Boras Classic has seen lots of upsets this week.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Unless this works in the playoffs to the tune of upsets in the first and second rounds, this will all be forgotten come next season as something that didn’t work.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026
While this year’s tournament has been lacking Cinderellas, the dearth of upsets means the four teams remaining are truly some of the best in the country.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
That said, by design, travel often upsets our routine.
—Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Daisy, whose backstory includes, in the first episode, a brief glimpse of Elisabeth Moss’ June, certainly upsets things, most often by reacting to Gilead’s penchant for public atrocities the way a non-sociopath outsider would.
—Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
By amalgamating these museological devices into the artwork, Aram directly upsets the threefold impulse to pierce form with meaning, to arrest color with identity, and to neutralize bodies with limits.
—Julian Stern, Artforum, 24 Mar. 2026
If iron upsets your stomach, take it with a small snack.
—Sara Hoffman, Verywell Health, 13 Mar. 2026
This upsets her husband, Paul, who has returned with his and Roxie’s two young sons.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
If Finland upsets Canada, three other Panthers — Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola — would play for the gold.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2026
Hayley’s very upset by it, and that upsets Mickey, and that’s probably one of the biggest driving motivations for him, not just to save his own life, but to save his daughter and his family from the ramifications of this.
—Pat Saperstein, Variety, 7 Feb. 2026
Or, imagine that Uruguay upsets Spain in Group H.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Noun
The playoffs have had a fair share of upsets so far, but this is the biggest on paper.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Monkeys in the tourism hotspot have apparently learned to eat dirt to soothe stomach upsets caused by eating too much sweet, fatty and salty snacks fed to them by visitors, a new study found.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2026
Or the 2019 Lightning and 2023 Bruins, which both flamed out in all-time first-round upsets.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
While college baseball observers look at the wins as upsets, eighth-year coach Jonathan Hernandez would prefer his players not.
—Eric Olson, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
His arrival and ascendance to being that go-to guy for all sorts of goodies upsets established power structures.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2026
The Boras Classic has seen lots of upsets this week.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Unless this works in the playoffs to the tune of upsets in the first and second rounds, this will all be forgotten come next season as something that didn’t work.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026
While this year’s tournament has been lacking Cinderellas, the dearth of upsets means the four teams remaining are truly some of the best in the country.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 29 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upsets
Verb
-
The worms thrash and move erratically with a snake-like motion that disturbs the topsoil.—
Maria Braganini,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
There are lots of things weightlessness disturbs, even in the short run.—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Such a determination would require new radiocarbon dating that overturns the original results, which would involve clipping and destroying another snippet of shroud—a step that the Vatican is unlikely to allow.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Simpler flight design The concept overturns the idea that shock waves must be reduced.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Experts warn that the war in Iran and the resulting fuel shocks can strain funding and disrupts field operations, hindering global conservation.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Dyslexia is a learning difference that disrupts how the brain processes written language.—
Ann Bullock,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In past years, that has created openings for disruptions in the lobby and other public spaces, including protests in which security moved to remove guests who unfurled banners or staged demonstrations.—
Bridget Byrne,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Apr. 2026
-
In Edgewater, a grandmother remembers when heat waves could max out the power grid, hackers could steal credit card numbers, and supply chain disruptions could trigger medication, food or even toilet paper shortages.—
David Awschalom,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
None of that, nor the fact Beckham missed all of 2025, bothers Harbaugh.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Even if their own tax bill is manageable, the idea that the wealthy are underpaying — or that the government is wasting their dollars — bothers many.—
Linley Sanders,
Fortune,
14 Apr. 2026
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.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
20 Mar. 2026
-
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.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The low-performing chefs are Rhoda, whose lamb confuses the kids; Sherry, whose grits were oddly flavored; and Oscar, whose puff pastry soaked up all the deep-fryer oil.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Learn about Outside Online's affiliate link policy Go somewhere that confuses your algorithm.—
Kevin Sintumuang,
Outside,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Meteorologists say a large-scale upper-level trough over the Plains is helping drive a series of disturbances that will move east through the day.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
But since that ridge shifted from Northern California in early April, the new pattern has invited multiple low-pressure disturbances into the region.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Upsets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upsets. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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