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

Experts say there is no single reason for this surge in disease.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

The company has indicated the site will create 400 full-time jobs and hundreds more in construction—a surge in a county with a working-age population of 11,000, McHugh said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

This year, conditions including a record-smashing March heat wave led to a surge in California’s native Culex mosquitoes, the transmitters of West Nile virus.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

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

My mind jumped to the Cocoon, and I felt a fresh surge of anger.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Brasher and Cruz took a commanding 4-1 lead to start the first set, the first of back-and-forth surges by both sides.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 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

“It surges when people are disproportionately betting on upside, and collapses, then greed gives way to fear and bearishness,” he said in a note.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

The modified Army contract for more Patriot missiles also comes as demand surges for the defensive weapon used heavily during the Iran war and in Ukraine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

He’s quiet for a moment as his fury rolls out, and the real emotion behind it surges in.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

The yearly increase in the cost of materials for industrial construction surged to a postpandemic high of 5.3% in July, underscoring the immense push to build more data centers.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

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

Revenue surged 43% on year in its fiscal 1Q, beating Citi’s forecast in part due to explosive growth in the Infrastructure Solutions Group unit, itself driven by robust AI server demand.

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

The largest river I’d ever seen surged along beneath it, roaring and carrying branches over sharp rocks and around twisty turns.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

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

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

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

Even Michael Giacchino’s energetic orchestral music is in on the heist, surging with melodies so familiar they tease us to guess which classic John Williams score inspired them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Then there was acclamation, pandemonium, a crush of bears surging forward to pay homage to Iofur’s conqueror.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

Related Words

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