top·sy-tur·vy
ˌtäp-sē-ˈtər-vē 
1
: in utter confusion or disorder
2
: with the top or head downward : upside down
: turned topsy-turvy : totally disordered
Synonyms
Examples of topsy-turvy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rob Schmitz, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
Her home life was topsy-turvy, and music was an escape.
—Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 7 Apr. 2024
Disney has had a topsy-turvy last few years at the stock market.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
Disney shareholders on Wednesday rejected board nominees allied with activist investor Nelson Peltz, ending a combative, months-long proxy battle centered on the company’s navigation of the topsy-turvy onset of the streaming era.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2024
Wu-Tang Clan rapper RZA, Chilean actor Catalina Saavedra, and Torres’s college roommate Spike Einbinder also make appearances, and looming throughout the film is the voice of Isabella Rossellini, who narrates this topsy-turvy maze run through the US immigration system.
—Suzy Exposito, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2024
On one hand, Modesto Christian was the model of consistency in a topsy-turvy sport, reaching the semifinals in each of its nine Open Division appearances.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
And the wave of millennials now trying to buy could contribute to a topsy-turvy housing market for years to come.
—Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024
But a day after getting thumped, 5-1, by the Kings, the last-place team in the Metropolitan Division stormed out of the gates in the third period, scoring three again to close its last Golden State trip of the season with a topsy-turvy 7-4 victory.
—Josh Gross, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2023
Pinsker’s characters always make the best of tricky situations, which only makes their struggles in her topsy-turvy worlds more heartbreaking.
—Charlie Jane Anders, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2023
Her child was topsy-turvy all over the back seat with her shoes leaving marks on my back window.
—Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 7 Mar. 2023
Adverb
Massive cylindrical sections of what was its minaret lie topsy-turvy on its remains.
—Rob Schmitz, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
Her home life was topsy-turvy, and music was an escape.
—Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 7 Apr. 2024
Disney has had a topsy-turvy last few years at the stock market.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
Disney shareholders on Wednesday rejected board nominees allied with activist investor Nelson Peltz, ending a combative, months-long proxy battle centered on the company’s navigation of the topsy-turvy onset of the streaming era.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2024
Wu-Tang Clan rapper RZA, Chilean actor Catalina Saavedra, and Torres’s college roommate Spike Einbinder also make appearances, and looming throughout the film is the voice of Isabella Rossellini, who narrates this topsy-turvy maze run through the US immigration system.
—Suzy Exposito, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2024
On one hand, Modesto Christian was the model of consistency in a topsy-turvy sport, reaching the semifinals in each of its nine Open Division appearances.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
And the wave of millennials now trying to buy could contribute to a topsy-turvy housing market for years to come.
—Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024
But a day after getting thumped, 5-1, by the Kings, the last-place team in the Metropolitan Division stormed out of the gates in the third period, scoring three again to close its last Golden State trip of the season with a topsy-turvy 7-4 victory.
—Josh Gross, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
Noun
Within that film’s topsy-turvy multiverse, Quan was by turns a laundromat owner on the verge of divorcing his wife, a dashing romantic lead and an action hero.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2023
Pinsker’s characters always make the best of tricky situations, which only makes their struggles in her topsy-turvy worlds more heartbreaking.
—Charlie Jane Anders, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2023
Her child was topsy-turvy all over the back seat with her shoes leaving marks on my back window.
—Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 7 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'topsy-turvy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near topsy-turvy
Cite this Entry
“Topsy-turvy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/topsy-turvy. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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