insurrection
Americannoun
noun
Usage
Why is insurrection trending? On January 6, 2021, lookups for the word insurrection skyrocketed 22,358% on Dictionary.com after a mob of supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U. S. Capitol building on the day Congress was set to certify the electoral vote count to confirm Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. Some journalists, political analysts, and politicians used the word insurrection to refer to the events that occurred in the nation’s capital.https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/1346960922615685121https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1346971096017297410
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of insurrection
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Late Latin insurrēctiōn-, stem of insurrēctiō, from insurrēct(us) “risen up, rebelled” (past participle of insurgere “to get up, ascend, rebel”; see insurgent) + -iō -ion
Explanation
Insurrection is an uprising against a larger force that's in power. An insurrection can lead to revolution, but it is just as likely to be put down. Other words for insurrection include "rebellion," "revolt," and "uprising," the last of which is the translation of insurrection's Latin roots. The Boston Tea Party is probably the most famous American act of insurrection. One who rises up in insurrection is called an insurgent by the force they are rising against. Like Paul Revere, insurgents are often called heroes by the people they are rising up to support.
Vocabulary lists containing insurrection
The Constitution of the United States
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Born a Crime
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"The Declaration of Independence," Vocabulary from the historical document
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Constitution grants Congress, not the president, the power to deploy the National Guard “to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions.”
From Salon • Nov. 17, 2025
Indeed, Article I gives Congress alone the authority to provide for “calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections, and repel Invasions.”
From Slate • Jul. 23, 2024
Insurrections - no matter their size or success - create substantial “to-do” lists for governments in their wake.
From Washington Times • Jan. 12, 2021
None of these writers appear in Insurrections of the Mind.
From Salon • Oct. 11, 2015
Insurrections in favor of the monarchy.Meetings at Madame Roland's.
From Madame Roland, Makers of History by Abbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
