upside down

adverb

1. with the upper part undermost.
2. in or into complete disorder; topsy-turvy:

   The burglars turned the house upside down.

upside down

adjective

1. usually postpositive; upside-down when prenominal turned over completely; inverted
2. informal.
   upside-down when prenominal confused; muddled; topsy-turvy

   an upside-down world

adverb

1. in an inverted fashion
2. in a chaotic or crazy manner

Derived Forms

• ˌupside-ˈdownness, noun

Other Words From

• upside-down adjective
• upside-downness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of upside down¹

1300–50; re-formation ( upside ) of Middle English upsedoun, earlier up so doun ( up, so ¹, down ¹; sense of so obscure)

Word History and Origins

Origin of upside down¹

C16: variant, by folk etymology, of earlier upsodown