groundswell

American  

[ground-swel] / ˈgraʊndˌswɛl /

noun

1. a broad, deep swell or rolling of the sea, due to a distant storm or gale.

2. any surge of support, approval, or enthusiasm, especially among the general public.

   a groundswell of political support for the governor.

---

groundswell British  

/ ˈɡraʊndˌswɛl /

noun

1. a considerable swell of the sea, often caused by a distant storm or earthquake or by the passage of waves into shallow water

2. a strong public feeling or opinion that is detectable even though not openly expressed

   a groundswell of discontent

---

Etymology

Origin of groundswell

First recorded in 1810–20; ground ¹ + swell

Example Sentences

Mamdani won a groundswell of support by promising bold and reasonable policies based on what the people told him.

From Salon

They start small and transform into a groundswell.

From Salon

In an interview earlier this week, the Recording Academy CEO, Harvey Mason Jr, confirmed there was a "groundswell" amongst voters for a separate K-pop category.

From BBC

Speaking to Variety, he said the groundswell of support “was really nice.”

From Los Angeles Times

Moltbot, an open-source AI bot that runs on Anthropic’s Claude, generated a groundswell of excitement online over the weekend.

From Barron's