surge

American  

[surj] / sɜrdʒ /

noun

• surges
  plural

1. a strong, wavelike, forward movement, rush, or sweep.

   the onward surge of an angry mob.

2. a strong, swelling, wavelike volume or body of something.

   a billowing surge of smoke.

3. a sudden, strong increase or burst.

   a surge of energy; surges of emotion.

4. Military. a significant increase in the number of troops deployed to an area.

5. the rolling swell of the sea.

6. the swelling and rolling sea.

   The surge crashed against the rocky coast.

7. a swelling wave; billow.

8. Meteorology.

   1. a widespread change in atmospheric pressure that is in addition to cyclonic and normal diurnal changes.

   2. storm surge.

9. Electricity.

   1. a sudden rush or burst of current or voltage.

   2. a violent oscillatory disturbance.

10. Nautical. a slackening or slipping back, as of a rope or cable.

11. Machinery.

    1. an uneven flow and strong momentum given to a fluid, as water in a tank, resulting in a rapid, temporary rise in pressure.

    2. pulsating unevenness of motion in an engine or gas turbine.

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verb (used without object)

• surges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• surged,
  past participle,  past
• surging
  present participle

1. (of a ship) to rise and fall, toss about, or move along on the waves.

   to surge at anchor.

2. to rise, roll, move, or swell forward in or like waves.

   The sea surged against the shore. The crowd surged back and forth.

3. to rise as if by a heaving or swelling force.

   Blood surged to his face.

4. Electricity.

   1. to increase suddenly, as current or voltage.

   2. to oscillate violently.

5. Nautical.

   1. to slack off or loosen a rope or cable around a capstan or windlass.

   2. to slip back, as a rope.

6. Machinery. to move with pulsating unevenness, as something driven by an engine or gas turbine.

verb (used with object)

• surges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• surged,
  past participle,  past
• surging
  present participle

1. to cause to surge or roll in or as in waves.

2. Nautical. to slacken (a rope).

surge British  

/ sɜːdʒ /

noun

1. a strong rush or sweep; sudden increase

   a surge of anger

2. the rolling swell of the sea, esp after the passage of a large wave

3. a heavy rolling motion or sound

   the surge of the trumpets

4. an undulating rolling surface, as of hills

5. a billowing cloud or volume

6. nautical a temporary release or slackening of a rope or cable

7. a large momentary increase in the voltage or current in an electric circuit

8. an upward instability or unevenness in the power output of an engine

9. astronomy a short-lived disturbance, occurring during the eruption of a solar flare

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verb

1. (intr) (of waves, the sea, etc) to rise or roll with a heavy swelling motion

2. (intr) to move like a heavy sea

3. nautical to slacken or temporarily release (a rope or cable) from a capstan or (of a rope, etc) to be slackened or released and slip back

4. (intr) (of an electric current or voltage) to undergo a large momentary increase

5. rare (tr) to cause to move in or as if in a wave or waves

surge Scientific  

/ sûrj /

1. A coastal rise in water level caused by wind.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• surger
  noun
• surgeless
  adjective
• unsurging
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• surges
  plural

Participles

• surging
  present
• surged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• surge
  simple
• surges
  simple
• have surged
  perfect
• has surged
  perfect
• am surging
  progressive
• are surging
  progressive
• is surging
  progressive
• have been surging
  perfect progressive
• has been surging
  perfect progressive

Past

• surged
  simple
• had surged
  perfect
• was surging
  progressive
• were surging
  progressive
• had been surging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will surge
  simple
• will have surged
  perfect
• will be surging
  progressive
• will have been surging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of surge

First recorded in 1480–90; perhaps from Latin surgere “to arise, stand up,” contracted from surrigere, from sur- sur- ² ( def. ) + -rigere, combining form of regere “to make straight, guide, rule”

Explanation

A surge is a sudden strong swelling, like a tsunami wave that engulfs the land. Although a surge offers a fluid image, anything can experience a sudden surge, including emotions, political support, or an angry mob. The original Latin word surgere, meaning “to spring up or rise,” serves as the basis for the word surge, which refers to a great sudden growth or swelling. If you are watching a sad movie and you experience a sudden surge of emotion, do you quietly reach for a tissue, pretend something's in your eye, or simply weep and sob with reckless abandon? Yeah, me too. Christmas shopping can be dangerous when there is a surge of interest in one toy and desperate shoppers surge into stores trying to grab it up.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

surge surges surged surging

The shooting also led to a surge in public criticism about the role of health-insurance companies in limiting or denying medical care.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

It reports that the heatwave has driven a surge in attendance at A&E departments, which last month had "their busiest time ever" due to a "record 2.5 million patients" needing care.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Britain was coming off a record-breaking surge in legal and illegal immigration that had turned the issue into a major issue.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

South Korea's Kospi surged almost five percent in the opening minutes amid a revival of the AI trade that fuelled the market's eye-watering surge to multiple records this year.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Branches clawed him as he ran, scratching with every surge forward, while the roots under his feet seemed to be trying to trip him on purpose, succeeding far too often.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

A period of price behavior is considered “explosive” if an asset surges exponentially from its historical norms, says Hseuh.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

Previous migrant surges have occurred during tensions between Spain and Morocco, including in 2021 which led more than 10,000 migrants to enter Ceuta in just two days.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

SK Hynix stock surges in South Korea on Friday but that could lead to more volatility down the line.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

Caterpillar’s stock surges after the biggest earnings beat in five years, as demand for data-center construction provided a boost.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Ahead of us, the caravan lurches out of the way, and the pent-up crowd surges forward.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

But she was as stunned as anyone when the European under-23 champion surged past her in Stockholm to reduce her personal best by almost two seconds.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Ratings surged and anchors became just as popular as the celebrity athletes they covered.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

South Korea's Kospi surged almost five percent in the opening minutes amid a revival of the AI trade that fuelled the market's eye-watering surge to multiple records this year.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Interest in citizenship by investment surged in 2020, when wealthy people felt trapped by pandemic lockdowns and the restrictions countries put on nonresidents, according to heads of firms.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Meanwhile, Nico’s Roman skeletons surged forward and grappled with something invisible.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

But that didn't stop its shares from surging nearly 10 percent on Thursday, as investors focussed on its profit outlook.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Plus: China’s surging clean-tech exports, lithium-free batteries, Strategic Petroleum Reserve shrinks below 300 million barrels.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

This is partly because supply is suddenly surging in some areas.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

Nebius stock was surging on Wednesday after financial results from the AI cloud infrastructure company beat expectations.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

The sharp, reverberating hoofbeats that moments ago had mixed into the surging sound of the river were now a crescendo upon me.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

Related Words

• deluge
• flood
• flow
• growth
• outpouring
• rise
• swell
• upsurge
• wave