Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - upset

(upset) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. 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. ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ by/about n • Upset is also a noun. ...stress and other emotional upsets. N-COUNT 2. 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. VERB: V n, V pron-refl • upsetting Childhood illness can be upsetting for children and parents alike... I will never see him again and that is a terribly upsetting thought. = distressing ADJ: usu v-link ADJ 3. 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... VERB: V n • Upset is also a noun. Markets are very sensitive to any upsets in the Japanese economic machine. N-COUNT 4. 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. VERB: V n 5. 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... N-COUNT: supp N • Upset is also an adjective. Larry is suffering from an upset stomach. ADJ: ADJ n 6. to upset the applecart: see applecart