upset

verb
UK: /ʌpˈset/
US: /ʌpˈset/

  1. To make someone worried, unhappy, or angry.

    1. Don't upset her by talking about the accident. [ ] [ ]
    2. The article about the oil spill really upset him, as he cares about the environment. [ ] [ ]

  2. To change or disturb something in a negative way.

    1. I don't want to upset your plans for the evening. [ ] [ ]
    2. The arrival of unexpected guests upset the carefully arranged seating plan. [ ] [ ]

  3. To accidentally knock something over.

    1. Be careful not to upset that glass of water. [ ] [ ]
    2. He tends to upset things when he's in a rush, always bumping into furniture. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

surprise disorder bother agitated defeat sad worry disturb unhappy
upset adjective

  1. Worried, unhappy, or angry.

    1. She was very upset after the argument. [ ] [ ]
    2. He seemed quite upset about the changes to his work schedule. [ ] [ ]

  2. Relating to stomach problems or feeling sick.

    1. I have an upset stomach today. [ ] [ ]
    2. The doctor suggested I take medicine for my upset stomach. [ ] [ ]
upset noun

  1. A situation in which someone unexpectedly beats a team or player that was expected to win.

    1. It was a major upset when the local team won. [ ] [ ]
    2. The tennis match resulted in a huge upset when the underdog defeated the champion. [ ] [ ]

  2. A state of being worried or unhappy.

    1. The news caused a lot of upset. [ ] [ ]
    2. She tried to minimize any upset caused by the sudden announcement. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "upset" in English means: To make someone worried, unhappy, or angry., To change or disturb something in a negative way., To accidentally knock something over..

The phonetic transcription of "upset" is /ʌpˈset/ in British English and /ʌpˈset/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "upset": surprise, disorder, bother, agitated, defeat, sad, worry, disturb, unhappy.

Example usage of "upset": "Don't upset her by talking about the accident.". More examples on the page.