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What factor would not increase the height of a storm surge?

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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

Prominent investors are split on whether the yield surge presents an opportunity or a threat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Even with the latest surge, AMD's valuation significantly trails rival chip company Nvidia, considered the pace-setter in artificial intelligence.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

For investment opportunities to keep an eye on, Krinksy highlighted consumer discretionary stocks, which have been hard hit of late by the surge in oil prices and bond yields.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

A surge of large companies started offering infertility benefits to attract top talent, and states passed legislation making insurance mandatory.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

Nok swallowed a surge of nervousness and bowed to the Governor, keeping her eyes down until she heard his deep voice say, “Welcome, child. Please come in.”

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

Meta surges 12% after the app to access the AI agent reached No. 1 in Apple’s App Store.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Those nighttime surges are especially important because routine blood tests are rarely performed during sleep.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026

Skyworks Solutions stock surges Friday and builds on a strong move from the previous session as CEO Philip Brace set the timeline for the completion of a key merger.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

Palantir shares have earned a reputation for wild upward surges as well as sharp pullbacks.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

That night, wind whipped through the holler in relentless surges, howling through the trees and rattling windowpanes.

From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech

Arnott believes that AI is a transformative technology that will boost productivity, but he isn’t a fan of large-cap stocks that have surged on AI enthusiasm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Visitor numbers have since surged: from about 3,000 a year five years ago to nearly 30,000 in 2024-25, according to government figures.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Atlas Energy Solutions stock surged on a deal with an unnamed artificial intelligence company.

From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026

Poindexter, a relative unknown, has surged in the meantime.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Magdalys pulled the keys out and stepped out of the way as a flood of prisoners surged out.

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older

Powered by surging AI investment, underlying economic growth turned in a hot second-quarter reading.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

The paper reports that the decision to delay assessments is because the NHS is struggling to meet the "surging demand", and cannot afford the cost of the number of assessments people are seeking.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

He wrote extensively about the collapse of Spirit Airlines, surging jet fuel prices from the war in Iran, and the many highs and lows of the legal marijuana business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Bitcoin’s gains came alongside a broader momentum trade on Wall Street, with technology and artificial-intelligence names on the U.S. stock market surging in tandem.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

His brain continued surging with questions—lots of questions, from a long, long day.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

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