to turn (something) upside down
51
4.5
- phrasal verb
- /tɜrn ˈsʌmθɪŋ ˈʌpˌsaɪd daʊn/
- Informal
:
poner patas arriba
- Then a chance remark by a charming stranger revealed the truth and turned her world upside down.
- turn the world upside down
Examples
-
The new policy changes turned the company's operations upside down, creating chaos among the staff.
-
Agents swarm over Tom's camper, turning everything upside down, pulling out dishes, trashing everything.
Fiction book (1996) -
Too much, too fast; her whole world had turned upside down in only a few hours.
Fiction book (1991) -
I mean: This industry is going to be turned upside down soon enough.
Fiction book (1997) -
How does a traditional society respond when its customs are turned upside down?
Academic text (2008) -
Even Governor Chris Christie said today the debates would turn the election "upside down."
Blog text (17) -
Everything is in pieces: the crystal vases, paintings on the floor, the furniture turned upside down.
Fiction book (2000) -
Medjugorje has caused this hierarchy to be turned upside down and has thereby created a conflict in social space.
Academic text (1997) -
Dr. A. Bernard Ackerman saw his professional world turned upside down the first time he testified as a medical expert witness.
Academic text (2004) -
Her unexpected breakup turned her life upside down, leaving her feeling lost and confused.
Synonyms
12
6.5
Make people see something in a very different way
7
4.1
To make a place or situation very messy and confused
5
5.0
Change something completely so it becomes very different
4
5.4
To make someone feel confused or unsure after a sudden change
1
7.1
Completely change what people think about something
Completely change the usual idea about something
To change a situation completely and suddenly
To cause a plan to fail or have big problems
Antonyms
How Disruptive
221
4.9
7
4.1
- Informal
51
4.5
41
4.2
97
2.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
turn + (something) + upside + down
The meaning builds on the clear literal sense of 'turn' + 'upside down' (to invert something), and the figurative sense 'cause a dramatic change or disruption' is a predictable metaphorical extension of physical inversion. Because the idiomatic reading follows transparently from the literal image but still requires recognizing a metaphorical shift, it is not fully compositional for all learners.
Etymology
Turn (something) upside down comes from a simple picture: if you turn a box upside down, the things inside fall out and get mixed up. So, to 'turn something upside down' now means 'to cause a big change' or 'to create confusion'.