upending

Verb

upend (third-person singular simple present upends, present participle upending, simple past and past participle upended)

1. (transitive) To end up; to set on end.
2. (transitive) To tip or turn over.
   • When he upended the bottle of water over his sleeping sister, the lid popped off and surprised them both.
3. (figuratively, transitive) To destroy, invalidate, overthrow, or defeat.
   • The scientific evidence upended the popular myth.
4. (figuratively, transitive) To affect or upset drastically.
   • By the middle of March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic upended normal life for virtually all Americans.

See all 5 meanings of upend