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the headline is:

"American Women Upset Sprint Relay at World Championships"

how to interpret "upset" in this?

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    Warning: Google search for exact text results in "Malwarebytes Browser Guard blocked this website because it may contain malware activity." In sports journalism an 'upset' is a very surprising result of some match, game, race, etc.
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented Jul 25, 2022 at 12:39
  • 2
    You should say which on newspaper or journal web site you saw this headline.
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented Jul 25, 2022 at 12:42
  • Please see my answer before downvoting.
    – Jeffrey Carney
    Commented Jul 25, 2022 at 12:46

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This is a better question than it seems. Several online dictionaries define the idea correctly only for its noun form. E.g., Cambridge:

an occasion when someone beats the team or player that was expected to win

I had to check Collins before finding the correct definition for the verb:

  1. to defeat or overthrow, usually unexpectedly
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  • thank you for your reply. What I found confusing in it was the fact the "Upset" is not linked to a "Team "or a "player" directly. I din't know English could have this structure get it?
    – Dagaggio lera
    Commented Jul 25, 2022 at 12:53
  • @Dagaggio lera I do get it. I think I have never seen it used in this way.
    – Jeffrey Carney
    Commented Jul 25, 2022 at 12:55
  • @Dagaggiolera "upset" is linked to a team: "American women". The American women in question are the team who upset the competition.
    – stangdon
    Commented Jul 25, 2022 at 13:38
  • @stangdon, thank you for your reply, here is my understanding when I said the "Upset" should be linked to a "Team" or "player" I meant "upset" should act upon it, so, where there is " Upset Sprint Relay" the "Sprint Relay" part should be a "Team" or a "player"
    – Dagaggio lera
    Commented Jul 25, 2022 at 14:00
  • @Dagaggiolera I think I understand your question now. It is possible to say, for example, "The Bulls upset the Rangers", but the object of upset doesn't have to be a team or a player; in this case it is the entire competition.
    – stangdon
    Commented Jul 25, 2022 at 15:08

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