How to Use upset in a Sentence

upset

1 of 3 verb
Definition of upsetnext
Synonyms for upsetnext
  • It upsets him that he can do nothing to help.
  • A lot of people were upset by the court's decision.
  • Don't upset yourself over it.
  • It upsets me to think I might never see him again.
  • Spicy food upsets my stomach.
  • That remark you made really upset me.
  • Caitlin Clark struggled as the Hawkeyes were upset by the Hoosiers.
    — USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
  • Houston is on the rise but not ready to upset the AFC’s No. 1 seed on the road.
    — Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2024
  • Some who spoke at the meeting were further upset by the tragedy.
    — Elizabeth Williamson, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2024
  • Folks appeared to be upset that Tom didn't get called out for one of the top honors of the night.
    — Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 29 Jan. 2023
  • The Gators upset Green Mountain to get here, avenging a pair of losses in the process.
    — Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 29 Feb. 2024
  • When the new draft was released, there were changes but still things that upset fans.
    — Rob Wieland, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023
  • This upsets the center’s neighbors, some of whom have lived in the area for decades.
    — Sharon Otterman, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023
  • What is the idea in Dark Matter that would upset censors?
    — Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 July 2023
  • My ceiling for them is to get to the playoffs, upset someone, and claw their way through a round or two.
    — Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 29 Mar. 2023
  • The players were neither surprised nor upset by the changes.
    — Dean Spiros, Twin Cities, 26 Jan. 2024
  • The whole thing is upsetting me because of the players who are involved.
    — Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner, 20 Sep. 2023
  • The team was upset by Phoenix despite leading by a goal for most of the match, only to have the visitors score in the 80th and 90th minutes.
    — Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024
  • The four seniors didn’t know this was the way seasons can end, losing on their home court, upset by an eighth seed.
    — Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Mar. 2023
  • But adding more teams could push small schools like Oakland, which upset Kentucky, out of the action.
    — Joe Drape, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
  • What's more, Whoopi revealed that she was upset by the reaction.
    — Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 13 Feb. 2023
  • The fact that Chong was now the de facto director of their films had upset the balance of power.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2024
  • That frames the high bills as a problem within customers’ control — which upsets Tigyi.
    — Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2024
  • The Matildas upset France in the longest penalty shootout in World Cup history.
    — Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 12 Aug. 2023
  • Accordingly, Joey gave Maria the date rose, which upset Lea.
    — Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2024
  • If Auburn, playing in front of a home-state crowd, can knock off and upset the Houston Cougars, then that might be the biggest win of all for Auburn’s rival.
    — Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 17 Mar. 2023
  • One time, Norton says, his dad upset a hidden wasps nest while lighting a fire.
    — Cynthia Billhartz Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024
  • The best way to look like a genius at the office this week is to correctly predict the NCAA tournament upset that will stun the rest of the country.
    — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 15 Mar. 2023
  • A lot of his base were offended and upset by the indictments, so there's been a rallying around facts.
    — Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024
  • The Rams are 2-2 and are looking to upset the aforementioned Eagles this Sunday.
    — Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 8 Oct. 2023
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upset

2 of 3 noun
  • In a major upset, he took the gold medal.
  • Her victory in the election was a big upset.
  • Spicy foods can cause stomach upset.
  • An emotional upset can affect your physical health.
  • Julien Gomez torched the Vikings for 36 points in the upset.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2022
  • UC Irvine stunned them in the first round with a 1-0 upset.
    — Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2022
  • The 2019 Nationals pulled off the upset but haven’t been the same since.
    — Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2022
  • Just the way the guys have been able to turn the page from the previous upsets during the years.
    — Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 12 May 2023
  • The upset over the No. 6 team in the country came thanks in large part to an unlikely hero.
    — Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2022
  • Of the 37 games played Tuesday, boys and girls, there were only three upsets.
    — Darren Sabedra, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2024
  • The Spartans were one loss away from being on the wrong end of a major upset.
    — Mark Stewart, Journal Sentinel, 12 June 2022
  • This feels like a game where the Steelers get a score on defense or special teams and pull off the upset.
    — Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Nov. 2022
  • Hero says: Everyone seems to be high on the Gators after last week’s upset of Utah in the Swamp.
    — Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 8 Sep. 2022
  • The Auburn transfer threw a Pick-6 that went 95 yards and helped get Washington State to the verge of an upset in the fourth quarter.
    — oregonlive, 25 Sep. 2022
  • This game feels like the best chance for an upset this weekend among the championship games.
    — Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 1 Dec. 2022
  • If the Wildcats pull off the upset, will TCU remain in the playoff picture?
    — John Scheibe, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2022
  • Bad blood The debacle is just the latest in a string of upsets for the ticketing site.
    — Anna Cooban, CNN, 26 Apr. 2023
  • Almost 15 years ago, the Lakers pulled off the upset at Breslin.
    — Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, 2 Nov. 2022
  • My theory has long been the shorter the series , the more likely the chance for an upset.
    — Terry Pluto, cleveland, 2 Oct. 2022
  • Has the complexion of this series changed in a sport that lends itself to big first-round upsets?
    — Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2023
  • Georgia is the pinnacle of college football, but the Horned Frogs are well equipped to shock the world and secure the upset.
    — Dallas News, 7 Jan. 2023
  • And as the hunt for a spot in the postseason heats up, expect to see more upsets as the underdogs begin to hunt.
    — Chris Morris, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2023
  • Players must keep the hazard of upsets in mind when making their picks.
    — Richard Morin, USA TODAY, 30 Aug. 2023
  • The Shamrocks, seeded 14th in the Division 2 bracket, didn’t just pull off the upset at No. 3 Peabody.
    — Jake Levin, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Nov. 2022
  • In 2002, Hughes won the Olympic gold medal in figure skating in what has been dubbed one of the greatest upsets in the history of the sport.
    — Reese Gorman, Washington Examiner, 17 May 2023
  • The Lions can’t expect to win that low-scoring a game given the state of their defense, but their recipe for an upset is to run the ball.
    — Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free Press, 22 Oct. 2022
  • FiveThirtyEight, a polling aggregator, gives Ryan a 29% chance of pulling off the upset.
    — Freddy Brewster, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2022
  • The voters listened and elected him in a historic upset.
    — F.h. Buckley, WSJ, 14 Nov. 2022
  • His teams have won four pennants, the first coming a quarter of a century ago with the 1998 Padres via upsets of the Astros and Braves.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Oct. 2023
  • From whirlwind victory laps to stunning upsets, check out some of the most best moments from the US Open.
    — Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 28 Aug. 2023
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upset

3 of 3 adjective
  • She was too upset to speak to him.
  • I try not to let her make me upset.
  • I'm upset that you didn't call.
  • There's no point in getting all upset about it.
  • I was so upset with him, I didn't call him for two weeks.
  • I was feeling upset by the whole experience.
  • The Blazers won the fourth quarter 25-19 to pull off the upset.
    — Afentres, oregonlive, 2 Apr. 2023
  • But what did the speakers say that got the donors so upset?
    — Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 25 Oct. 2023
  • Used to be a huge fan, was pretty upset to see all the things that came out about you.
    — Angela Yang, NBC News, 19 Nov. 2023
  • Of course, there might be a single upset win by Batiste.
    — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2024
  • If there’s a surprise upset, this one could go to David Oyelowo.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 4 Jan. 2024
  • Stallone was very upset with the look of the background actors.
    — James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
  • Still, Chelsea was blindsided and very upset by the breakup.
    — Chyna Blackmon, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2024
  • Stanford lost in the next round, an upset to Oregon State.
    — Marisa Ingemi, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Apr. 2023
  • Don’t linger because that could make your child more upset.
    — Kate Sequeira, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2023
  • At half time, some of the kids were really upset and kind of giving up ...
    — Jackson Tolliver, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2023
  • It’s long been used as a soother for upset tummies and as a drink after adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
    — Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 21 Feb. 2024
  • Her parents were already upset she had been kicked out of school.
    — Amber Ferguson, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
  • In other words, if the owner is upset, the dog will likely match that emotion.
    — Mac Stone, Discover Magazine, 21 Mar. 2023
  • Vallejo had every reason to be upset, and not just because of the loss of power and land.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2023
  • Soto Sanchez is still upset over losing 10 horses in the fire.
    — Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 1 Dec. 2023
  • Racist trolls were upset that a Black actor was cast as a character described in the books as a blonde white girl.
    — Zack Sharf, Variety, 20 Dec. 2023
  • Several parents were upset when the board’s vote failed last week, Broder said.
    — Nicole Asbury, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2023
  • That latter bit has artists understandably upset, and the new Nightshade tool might give them the means to fight back.
    — Josh Hendrickson, PCMAG, 22 Jan. 2024
  • The bigger question might be, is this really that big of an upset?
    — Todd Boss, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
  • If ingested, peace lilies can cause GI upset, drooling, and mouth and throat pain.
    — Kristin Tablang, House Beautiful, 18 Apr. 2023
  • Only feed your canine a small amount to avoid upset stomach.
    — Jennifer Nelson, Southern Living, 29 July 2023
  • But -- but this is the reason why Americans are angry and upset.
    — ABC News, 7 Jan. 2024
  • Normally, that’s a punishment that the upset spouse hands out.
    — Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Oct. 2023
  • Johnie Cooks, who starred in one of the great upset victories in SEC football history, has died.
    — Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 7 July 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'upset.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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