upend

American  

[uhp-end] / ʌpˈɛnd /

verb (used with object)

1. to set on end, as a barrel or ship.

2. to affect drastically or radically, as tastes, opinions, reputations, or systems.

3. to defeat in competition, as in boxing or business.

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verb (used without object)

1. to become upended.

2. to place the body back-end up, as a dabbling duck.

upend British  

/ ʌpˈɛnd /

verb

1. to turn or set or become turned or set on end

2. (tr) to affect or upset drastically

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Etymology

Origin of upend

First recorded in 1815–25; up- + end ¹

Example Sentences

The payoff is less certain when college expenses are rising and artificial intelligence threatens to upend many professions.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s a small change for now, but one that could one day upend traditional stock trading.

From Barron's

Helping drive the sector down is the fear that privately held artificial intelligence pioneers Anthropic and OpenAI will upend many companies offering business-to-business software products.

From Barron's

The conflict upended Federal Reserve interest rate cut bets, with odds of two cuts by year-end dropping from 80% to less than 2%.

From The Wall Street Journal

Investors have grown concerned that artificial intelligence will upend the software industry, which has been a big recipient of loans from private-investment firms.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• abolish
• conquer
• crush
• depose
• dethrone
• eradicate
• oust
• overcome
• overrun
• overturn
• put an end to
• raze
• subdue
• subvert
• topple
• unseat
• vanquish