revolt
Americanverb (used without object)
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revolts,
present (3rd person singular)
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revolted,
past participle, past
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revolting
present participle
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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)
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revolts,
present (3rd person singular)
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revolted,
past participle, past
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revolting
present participle
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.
See Examples For:
Demonstrations over worsening living conditions escalated into a revolt, marked by roadblocks that cut off major cities and calls for the president's resignation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
But it could yet fuel the revolt against him, both from outside and within Fifa.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Evangelical leaders “helped to organize the Populist revolt of the 1880s and 1890s” and others “urged Texans to see the sins of our economic system,” he said.
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026
Now, the nation’s tech hub also sits at the center of an intense and growing revolt against its ability to cause harm and replace humans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Following this revolt by slaves, abolitionist writings are censored and harsher slave codes are passed.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
The numbers are far from the peaks reached in 2011, when tens of thousands arrived in just a few months as maritime border controls disintegrated during the Arab Spring revolts.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
It was also a time when various European empires were reaching their peak yet faced republican or nationalistic revolts.
From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2026
Speaking to other militia members who joined the revolts of Bundy and his father, The Atlantic found that Ammon was an outlier in his own community.
From Salon ● Feb. 2, 2026
Moreover, history suggests that foreign support has rarely been the determining factor in helping popular revolts topple autocratic leaders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
Despite the odds, many captives tried to free themselves, and there were a number of revolts, particularly when the vessel was anchored on the African coast.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
There was one heavily affected community that revolted whenever the group tried to enter.
From Slate ● Jun. 9, 2026
Within weeks of the election, roughly three-quarters of the TMC's legislators revolted against both Banerjee and her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, widely seen as her heir.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
No longer able to afford the staple of their diet, the Egyptian people revolted.
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
The ostentatious displays of deference he demanded, and received, from heads of state and CEOs manifested an arrogance that enraged some participants and a vulgarity that revolted others.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
“What are they, Hagrid?” asked Harry, trying to sound interested rather than revolted, but putting down his rock cake all the same.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Across Southern California, residents are revolting against bright LEDs.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
The new policy is an attempt to be “flexible” as situations change, the company said, but some shareholders appear to be revolting.
From Barron's ● May 5, 2026
Among the choicest: The champion skier from Norway starts his day with a breakfast that his father finds revolting, and he’s “too afraid” of downhill cycling to consider switching sports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
Though, like many things Epstein, the man’s genetic interests were twisted, often revolting, and shockingly uninformed.
From Slate ● Mar. 19, 2026
“Mother, I must attend to my bowels. They are revolting against the trauma of the last twenty-four hours.”
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
