upset
upset — verb
1. to make someone feel worried, unhappy, or emotionally shaken — for example, by t
to make someone feel worried, unhappy, or emotionally shaken — for example, by telling them bad news, treating them unfairly, or saying something hurtful.
The news of the factory closing upset Stefan's entire family.
Beatriz felt deeply upset when her application was turned down.
felt deeply upset — common adverb + adjective collocation
It upset Quan to learn that his best friend was moving abroad.
it upsets + person + to-infinitive
Élise was upset that no one had told her about the change of plans.
be upset + that-clause
The teacher's harsh words upset the younger students in the class.
- deeply upset
- visibly upset
- upset by the news
- upset about the decision
Grammar Patterns
upset + noun/pronoun
be upset by + noun
be upset to + infinitive
be upset that + clause
Usage Note
Often used in the passive: be/get upset by/about something. The that-clause and to-infinitive patterns are common after passive constructions.
Common Mistakes
2. to change the expected or normal condition of something, usually creating disord
to change the expected or normal condition of something, usually creating disorder or preventing it from happening as planned.
The sudden rain upset all our plans for the outdoor wedding reception.
upset + plans — common collocation for disrupted arrangements
A loud noise from the street upset the rhythm of Yael's piano practice.
The last-minute change upset the carefully prepared meeting schedule.
Rin's late arrival upset the seating arrangements for the formal dinner.
upset + arrangements
- upset the balance
- upset plans
- upset the schedule
- upset arrangements
Grammar Patterns
upset + abstract noun (plans, balance, schedule)
Usage Note
This sense is about disrupting abstract systems (plans, schedules, balance) rather than physical objects. The object is typically a process or arrangement, not a person.
Common Mistakes
3. to accidentally push or hit something so that it falls, spills, or moves from it
to accidentally push or hit something so that it falls, spills, or moves from its correct position.
Tunde accidentally upset his coffee cup and ruined the documents on his desk.
upset + container (cup, glass, bowl) — spilling contents
The cat jumped onto the shelf and upset a vase of dried flowers.
Someone had upset the chessboard, scattering pieces all over the carpet.
A strong gust of wind upset the stack of boxes on the balcony.
- upset a glass
- upset a cup
- upset a vase
- upset a bowl
- knock over
more common in everyday spoken English
- overturn
more formal, suggests something turns onto its side or top
- spill
used when liquid comes out of a container
Grammar Patterns
upset + concrete noun
Usage Note
This sense always involves a physical object being knocked from its position. Do not confuse with sense 1 (emotional) or sense 2 (abstract disruption).
Common Mistakes
4. to cause someone's stomach to feel uncomfortable or slightly nauseous, often bec
to cause someone's stomach to feel uncomfortable or slightly nauseous, often because of something they have eaten or drunk.
The smell of raw fish always upsets Anjali's stomach.
upset [possessive] stomach — fixed expression
Eating too many sweets upset the children's stomachs during the long car ride.
The bumpy boat ride upset Shirin and she had to sit down until it passed.
Rich food upsets David's stomach if he eats it too late in the evening.
- upset someone's stomach
- upset by food
- easily upset stomach
- nauseate
more formal or clinical
- sicken
stronger, can mean both physical and moral disgust
- turn one's stomach
idiomatic, vivid expression
- settle
to calm the stomach, e.g., 'ginger tea settled my stomach'
Grammar Patterns
upset + person's stomach
upset + person
Usage Note
The object is almost always 'stomach' or a person. When used with a person, the nausea is implied rather than stated directly — 'the ride upset me' means it made me feel sick.
Common Mistakes
5. to beat a competitor who was expected to win, especially in a sports match or co
to beat a competitor who was expected to win, especially in a sports match or competition.
The underdog team upset the defending champions in the final match of the season.
underdog team upsets favourite — typical sports-journalism pattern
Imran upset the top seed in the first round of the regional tennis tournament.
No one expected the young player to upset the world champion in that match.
The local school team upset the city champions to take home the trophy.
- upset the champion
- upset the favourite
- stunning upset
- shock upset
- lose to
the expected outcome when the favourite underperforms
Grammar Patterns
upset + team/player
Usage Note
This is a specialised sense used in sports journalism and commentary. The 'expected loser wins' element is central — if the favourite wins, it is not an upset.
Common Mistakes
upset — adjective
1. feeling worried, unhappy, or emotionally hurt because something unpleasant or di
feeling worried, unhappy, or emotionally hurt because something unpleasant or disappointing has happened.
Eve was visibly upset when she heard that her flight had been cancelled.
visibly upset — adverb intensifying the visible emotion
The children looked upset after the football game was called off due to the storm.
David was too upset to speak after receiving the bad news from his doctor.
too upset to [verb] — common pattern showing intensity
Yael got upset when no one had saved a seat for her at the table.
get upset — dynamic change of emotion
The coach told Jude there was no need to get upset about missing one free throw in the second quarter.
- deeply upset
- visibly upset
- upset about
- upset by
- get upset
- feel upset
- hurt
focuses on emotional pain caused by someone's actions
- distressed
stronger, suggests serious emotional suffering
- bothered
milder, about minor annoyances
Grammar Patterns
be upset
feel upset
get upset
be upset about + noun
be upset that + clause
Usage Note
This is the most common sense of upset across all parts of speech. It describes a temporary emotional state, not a personality trait. Use about for the cause (upset about the result) and by for the trigger (upset by her words).
Common Mistakes
2. describes a stomach that feels uncomfortable or slightly nauseous, usually after
describes a stomach that feels uncomfortable or slightly nauseous, usually after eating or drinking something, or due to a minor illness.
Quan stayed home from school because he had an upset stomach.
have an upset stomach — fixed noun phrase
The spicy meal gave Beatriz an upset stomach for the rest of the night.
After eating three baozi too quickly, Diya's stomach felt upset and her grandmother made her some ginger tea.
The doctor said the baby had an upset stomach but nothing serious.
- upset stomach
- have an upset stomach
- suffer from an upset stomach
- settled
a settled stomach feels comfortable and normal
Grammar Patterns
upset stomach
have an upset stomach
Usage Note
In this sense, upset almost always appears before the noun stomach (e.g., upset stomach). It is not used alone as a general feeling of illness — you cannot say 'I feel upset' for stomach discomfort; use 'I have an upset stomach' or 'My stomach feels upset.'
Common Mistakes
upset — noun
1. a state of confusion, worry, or trouble caused by unexpected events or changes i
a state of confusion, worry, or trouble caused by unexpected events or changes in normal conditions.
The unexpected resignation of the director caused great upset within the company.
cause + upset — common verb + noun collocation
Moving to a new country always brings some emotional upset, even for adventurous people.
The family went through a period of upset after the sudden loss of their home.
period of upset — temporal frame
The announcement caused considerable upset among the staff at the factory.
- emotional upset
- cause upset
- period of upset
- considerable upset
- disturbance
more formal, emphasises the interruption of normal functioning
- disruption
focuses on the breakdown of order or process
- turmoil
stronger, suggests a state of great confusion
Grammar Patterns
cause upset
emotional upset
2. a situation in which a person or team expected to lose surprisingly wins a game
a situation in which a person or team expected to lose surprisingly wins a game or competition.
The match ended in a huge upset when the last-place team beat the league leaders.
huge upset — common adjective + noun intensifier
Tennis fans at the French Open cheered when an unknown player produced a major upset in the first round.
The victory over the Olympic champion was one of the biggest upsets in sports history.
The journalist called the result the biggest upset of the tournament so far.
- huge upset
- major upset
- big upset
- stunning upset
- shock upset
- shock result
common in British sports journalism
- surprise victory
neutral, less idiomatic than 'upset'
- stunner
informal, used in headlines
- expected result
when the favourite wins as predicted
Grammar Patterns
a + upset
big upset
major upset
Usage Note
Used to describe the event itself ('The match was an upset'), not the winning team ('They are upsets' is unnatural). The adjective form is upset victory or upset win.
Common Mistakes
3. a mild condition affecting the stomach that causes discomfort, nausea, or diarrh
a mild condition affecting the stomach that causes discomfort, nausea, or diarrhoea, often resulting from food or drink.
The child had a stomach upset and stayed home from school for two days.
stomach upset — fixed noun phrase for the condition
Anjali is recovering from a mild stomach upset and can only eat plain rice.
Yael's doctor said the upset was probably caused by something she ate at the market.
Imani's doctor said her mild stomach upset would clear up within a day or two.
- stomach upset
- mild upset
- have an upset
- suffer from a stomach upset
- stomach bug
informal, suggests a viral cause
- gastric upset
more formal, clinical term
- digestive upset
broader, includes any mild digestive issue
Grammar Patterns
stomach upset
have a stomach upset
Usage Note
Usually appears with stomach to form the compound stomach upset. Unlike the adjective sense (upset stomach), this noun form treats the condition as an event or illness episode. British English commonly uses stomach upset; American prefers upset stomach.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- upsettingadjectiveB2
- upsettinglyadverbC1
- upsetnessnounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
Upset, worried, anxious, and distressed all describe negative emotional states, but they differ in cause and intensity. Upset is the broadest and most common — it is a reaction to a specific event that has already happened, such as bad news or a disappointment (e.g., 'She was upset when her friend forgot her birthday'). Worried focuses on thoughts about possible future problems (e.g., 'He was worried about the exam results'). Anxious is stronger and more physical, suggesting a feeling of nervousness or tension that may not have a clear cause (e.g., 'She felt anxious before the job interview'). Distressed is the most intense, describing serious emotional pain that makes it hard to function normally (e.g., 'The family was deeply distressed by the accident'). For a learner, upset is the safest everyday choice for describing disappointment or hurt feelings, while worried and anxious lean toward future concerns and distressed is reserved for severe situations.
Common collocations
Etymology
Upset comes from the Middle English word upsetten, formed by combining up and setten (to set). Originally it meant 'to set up' or 'to place upright.' Over time the meaning shifted in an unusual way — by the 1600s, upset had come to mean 'to overturn' or 'to tip over,' probably because of confusion with the idea of 'setting something up' only to have it fall. From this physical sense, the word developed its emotional meaning of 'disturbing someone's composure' by the 1800s. The sporting sense of an 'unexpected defeat' dates from the late 1800s.