revolt

American  

[ri-vohlt] / rɪˈvoʊlt /

verb (used without object)

1. to break away from or rise against constituted authority, as by open rebellion; cast off allegiance or subjection to those in authority; rebel; mutiny.

   to revolt against the present government.

2. to turn away in mental rebellion, utter disgust, or abhorrence (usually followed byfrom ).

   He revolts from eating meat.

3. to rebel in feeling (usually followed byagainst ).

   to revolt against parental authority.

4. to feel horror or aversion (usually followed byat ).

   to revolt at the sight of blood.

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verb (used with object)

1. to affect with disgust or abhorrence.

   Such low behavior revolts me.

noun

1. the act of revolting; an insurrection or rebellion.

   Synonyms:

   putsch, disorder, uprising

2. an expression or movement of spirited protest or dissent.

   a voter revolt at the polls.

revolt British  

/ rɪˈvəʊlt /

noun

1. a rebellion or uprising against authority

2. in the process or state of rebelling

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verb

1. (intr) to rise up in rebellion against authority

2. (usually passive) to feel or cause to feel revulsion, disgust, or abhorrence

Other Word Forms

• revolter noun
• unrevolted adjective

Etymology

Origin of revolt

1540–50; (v.) < Middle French revolter < Italian rivoltare to turn around < Vulgar Latin *revolvitāre, frequentative of Latin revolvere to roll back, unroll, revolve; (noun) < French révolte < Italian rivolta, derivative of rivoltare

Example Sentences

But at the end of 2024, with Jeep and Ram dealers in revolt over high sticker prices, Tavares and the company’s board agreed to part ways.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

He has since led an internal revolt and was elected party leader in January, ending the decade-long grip of former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, 79, who had defied calls for reform.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

Creamed spinach and mac and cheese will not stage a revolt.

From Salon • Feb. 12, 2026

The board beckoned Iger back in November 2022 to quell a revolt by senior Disney executives and allay concerns among investors.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026

I know no medium: I never in my life have known any medium in my dealings with positive, hard characters, antagonistic to my own, between absolute submission and determined revolt.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Related Words

• defection
• insurgency
• insurrection
• mutiny
• rebellion
• revolution