upset

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♦ up|set (upsets upsetting upset)
The verb and adjective are pronounced /'ʌps'et/ The noun is pronounced /'ʌpset/
1 [ADJ] usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ by/about n
If you are upset, you are unhappy or disappointed because something unpleasant has happened to you.
After she died I felt very, very upset...
Marta looked upset...
She sounded upset when I said you couldn't give her an appointment...
They are terribly upset by the break-up of their parents' marriage.
[N-COUNT]
Upset is also a noun.
...stress and other emotional upsets.
2 [VERB] V n, V pron-refl
If something upsets you, it makes you feel worried or unhappy.
She warned me not to say anything to upset him...
Don't upset yourself, Ida.
● upsetting [ADJ] usu v-link ADJ
Childhood illness can be upsetting for children and parents alike...
I will never see him again and that is a terribly upsetting thought.
= distressing
3 [VERB] V n
If events upset something such as a procedure or a state of affairs, they cause it to go wrong.
...a deal that would upset the balance of power in the world's gold markets...
[N-COUNT]
Upset is also a noun.
Markets are very sensitive to any upsets in the Japanese economic machine.
4 [VERB] V n
If you upset an object, you accidentally knock or push it over so that it scatters over a large area.
Don't upset the piles of sheets under the box.
5 [N-COUNT] supp N
A stomach upset is a slight illness in your stomach caused by an infection or by something that you have eaten.
Paul was unwell last night with a stomach upset...
[ADJ] ADJ n
Upset is also an adjective.
Larry is suffering from an upset stomach.
6
to upset the applecart: see applecart

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