I. |əp|set sometimes _əpˈs-; usu -ed.+V adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from up + set, past participle of setten to set — more at set
1. archaic : set up : raised , erected
2.
[from past participle of upset (II) ]
: emotionally disturbed : affected by an emotional disturbance
was too upset to say anything — Frank Sargeson
her nerves were more upset than usual — Arnold Bennett
II. ˌəpˈset sometimes _əpˈs-; usu -ed.+V verb
( upset ; upset ; upsetting ; upsets ; see vt 1b )
Etymology: Middle English upsetten, from up + setten to set
transitive verb
1.
a. obsolete : to set up : put upright : raise
b. also past & past part upsetted
(1) : to turn the outer ends of (stakes) upward so as to make a foundation (as for the side of a basket)
(2) : to form (the side of a basket) by upsetting the stakes
2.
a. : to thicken and shorten (as a heated bar of iron) by the application of pressure on an end (as by hammering) : swage
b. : to shorten (a metal tire on a wooden wheel) by cutting and hammering on the ends or by treating in a special machine without cutting
3. : to force out of the usual upright, level, or proper position : capsize
upset his chair — John Buchan
the winds have torn and upset the mossy structures in the bushes — Richard Jefferies
4.
a. : to disturb the equilibrium of : cause an emotional disturbance in : discompose
the least little thing upset her — Elizabeth Schutt
b. : to throw into disorder : put out of kilter : disarrange
any effort that upsets the routine of daily life may bring about a restless night — Morris Fishbein
the financial stability of the country was upset — P.E.James
c.
(1) : to make invalid by or as if by intervention
have enough pigheaded individual ways of their own to upset any calculation that they will give a certain exact response — C.E.Montague
induced the jury to upset a will under unusual circumstances — H.W.H.Knott
(2) : to defeat unexpectedly (as in an athletic or political contest)
strong enough to upset the candidates of the major parties — I.G.Blake
5. : to cause a physical disorder in : make somewhat ill especially in the digestive tract
some children are unable to eat certain foods without being upset by them — H.R.Litchfield & L.H.Dembo
intransitive verb
1. : to turn over : capsize
a chafing dish … which may be held in the hands yet cannot possibly upset — G.G.Coulton
2. of a bullet : to expand laterally while moving through a rifled bore and upon striking an object
3. : to upset the stakes in making a basket
Synonyms: see discompose , overturn
III. ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
( -s )
1. : a physical overturning : overturn
bruised by the upset of his gig while viewing lands — W.L.Whittlesey
2.
a.
(1) : an act of throwing into disorder : derangement , overthrow
the upset of price levels in the inflation period — C.L.Jones
a radical innovation, an upset , a reversal of patterns in American domestic life — Harper's
(2) : a state of disorder : confusion
produced less profound changes … but also much less upset and clash — A.L.Kroeber
b. : quarrel
c. : an unexpected defeat (as in an athletic or political contest)
cut loose with a dazzling passing attack today to effect one of the most startling upsets of the college football season — New York Times
ran for mayor a second time … and scored an upset victory — Current Biography
3.
a. : a physical disorder : a slight illness
a stomach upset
would become disturbed about every single upset as if it were a major illness — Evelyn Barkins
b. : an emotional disturbance
went through a big upset after her father's death
4.
a. : a part of a rod or similar object (as the head on a bolt) that is upset
b. : the buckling of wood fibers due to crushing
c. : the expansion of a bullet that is the result of upsetting
5. : the rods plaited or woven around the bottoms of the stakes of a basket immediately after upsetting so that they will stay in position — see basket illustration
6. : a swage used in upsetting