upheaval
Americannoun
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strong or violent change or disturbance, as in a society.
the upheaval of war.
- Synonyms:
- turmoil, disorder, disruption
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an act of upheaving, especially of a part of the earth's crust.
-
the state of being upheaved.
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Geology. an upward warping of a part of the earth's crust, forcing certain areas into a relatively higher position than before.
noun
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a strong, sudden, or violent disturbance, as in politics, social conditions, etc
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geology another word for uplift
Etymology
Origin of upheaval
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.
I thought it would be so cool to live through a time of principles and protest, of country-changing upheaval.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
The film’s trailer promises more political upheaval, introduces a new villain and teases Paul and Chani’s future child.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026
By studying which species lived before this extinction and how they responded to environmental changes, researchers can gain insight into how life adapts during periods of major upheaval.
From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2026
Private-credit managers are trying to disprove a negative—and it has created the biggest upheaval for the $1 trillion market since it came on the scene after the financial crisis.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
Any upheaval in the universe is terrifying because it so profoundly attacks one’s sense of one’s own reality.
From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
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.
