revolt
Americanverb (used without object)
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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.
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to turn away in mental rebellion, utter disgust, or abhorrence (usually followed byfrom ).
He revolts from eating meat.
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to rebel in feeling (usually followed byagainst ).
to revolt against parental authority.
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to feel horror or aversion (usually followed byat ).
to revolt at the sight of blood.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a rebellion or uprising against authority
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in the process or state of rebelling
verb
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(intr) to rise up in rebellion against authority
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(usually passive) to feel or cause to feel revulsion, disgust, or abhorrence
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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revoltsimple
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revoltssimple
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have revoltedperfect
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has revoltedperfect
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am revoltingprogressive
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are revoltingprogressive
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is revoltingprogressive
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have been revoltingperfect progressive
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has been revoltingperfect progressive
Past
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revoltedsimple
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had revoltedperfect
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was revoltingprogressive
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were revoltingprogressive
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had been revoltingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
Revolt means to rise up against an authority in an act of rebellion. You might see an opposition group revolt against a government, or you might revolt against your oppressive 10:00 curfew. Revolt has a noun form as well to describe that kind of rebellious uprising. Your revolt is successful if you get permission to stay out past 11:00. Revolt can also mean to disgust or sicken, either physically or in terms of your sensibilities. Your stomach may revolt at the idea of eating cauliflower again. You could combine the two meanings of revolt if you stage a revolt in the kitchen to stop from having to eat vegetables that revolt you.
Vocabulary lists containing revolt
"The Sniper" by Liam O’Flaherty
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"Revolution 2.0," Vocabulary from the memoir
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"When Cultures Meet"
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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.
Terresa Hardaway, a graphic design professor at the University of Minnesota and creative director of Blackbird Revolt, a social justice-based design studio, chanted.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026
Wat Tyler led the Peasants Revolt some 150 years later to get a better deal for farm laborers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026
An insurgency known as the Arab Revolt broke out against British rule from 1936 until 1939.
From BBC • Sep. 26, 2025
Shares in Revolt held by Combs, who served as the company’s chair, have been fully redeemed and retired, the Los Angeles-based company said Tuesday a statement on its website.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 4, 2024
“Right you are, Sunny Brook. Here we go: What king defeated the Revolt of the Earls in 1075 and then, a decade later, ordered the composing of the Domesday, or doomsday, Book?”
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
