up in arms

Idioms  

1. Angry, rebellious, as in The town was up in arms over the state's plan to allow commercial flights at the air base. This idiom originally referred to an armed rebellion and was so used from the late 1500s. Its figurative use dates from about 1700.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

up in arms

“It amazes me that travelers are not up in arms about the way they get treated,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Brandy Melville’s young customers are up in arms over the new policy—but still shopping.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

The teams were up in arms and complained.

From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026

French politicians across the divide have been up in arms against the deal, which they view as an assault on the country's influential farming sector.

From Barron's ● Jan. 14, 2026

Northern abolitionists like Ralph Waldo Emerson made Brown a martyr, and Southern loyalists got up in arms, quite literally, at the idea that this might be the start of a trend.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson