capsize

This term describes a specific type of failure where a vessel loses its stability and flips over. It carries a sense of suddenness and danger, often implying a catastrophic event that leaves the occupants in the water. Unlike a general tip or tilt, a capsize usually results in the boat being completely inverted or lying on its side. In a nautical context, the word is used both to describe the action of the vessel itself and the external force that causes the event. It is almost exclusively reserved for watercraft and is rarely used for land-based vehicles, which would instead be described as rolling or flipping.