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Definition of "upset" []

  • To cause to turn or tip over; capsize. (verb-transitive)
  • To disturb the functioning, order, or course of: Protesters upset the meeting by chanting and shouting. (verb-transitive)
  • To distress or perturb mentally or emotionally: The bad news upset me. (verb-transitive)
  • To overthrow; overturn: upset a will. See Synonyms at overthrow. (verb-transitive)
  • To defeat unexpectedly (an opponent favored to win). (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "upset" in a sentence
  • "Sherk was one of the big victories for Edgar as he made his way to the title upset victory over B.J."
  • "The DVD has a few roundtable discussions about the title, so I guess the title upset some folks."
  • "I wonder whether this upset is about something other than a desire to protect American sovereignty, for, as I have pointed out, that sovereignty is in no danger from the use of persuasive authority by foreign sources, any more than it is endangered by the citation to law reviews and learned treatises."