upside down
268
2.0
- adverb
- /ˈʌpˌsaɪd daʊn/
- The picture was hung upside down, so I had to fix it.
- turn upside down
- hang upside down
- a flag upside down
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Watch on YouTubeIt doesn't go upside down yet.
- It doesn't go upside down yet.
- It's just a smile turned upside down, Conan.
- And to open the bag, you twist the spade upside down to unlock it.
Examples
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Sir, your book is upside down.
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Often in dreams, numbers appear upside down and backwards.
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Just the same thing upside down now.
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Yeah, just upside down so you can double check it.
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So when the world started sort of going upside down, I thought this is interesting.
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Too much, too fast; her whole world had turned upside down in only a few hours.
Fiction book (1991) -
And look at the moon upside down through your legs.
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So if your days seem a little upside down, maybe you can blame it on the sun.
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The bowl of milk was lying upside down beside her on the ground.
Fiction book (1992) -
You've got the map upside down.
Synonyms
60
1.8
Turned so the top is where the bottom normally is
30
4.8
Placed or turned so the top and bottom are swapped
6
4.5
Something that has its bottom facing up, like a boat
2
4.4
Turned over so the bottom points toward the sky
1
9.9
Turned upside down so the top is at the bottom
1
3.6
Turned so the top is on the bottom
How Inverted
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'inverted/overturned' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'upside' (upper side) with 'down' (lower), describing a reversal of top and bottom. This basic spatial composition is cross-linguistically common and should be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Upside down creates a simple image: the up side is now on the down side, like a cup turned over so the top is where the bottom should be. That's why it means 'inverted' or 'turned over'.