noun
Related Words
See disorder.
Etymology
Origin of uproar
1520–30; < Dutch oproer revolt, tumult, translation of German Aufruhr; sense and spelling influenced by roar
Explanation
Any kind of noisy disturbance can be called an uproar. A large group of political protesters outside City Hall is likely to create an uproar. There's often an uproar in the audience of a rock concert when the band first appears on stage — people cheer and applaud and whistle. An announcement that the neighborhood donut shop is out of donuts could create another kind of uproar, especially if people have been standing in a long line dreaming of crullers and chocolate glazed donuts. Uproar comes from the German Aufruhr, "a stirring up."
Vocabulary lists containing uproar
This Week in Words: October 13 – 20, 2018
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Crash
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Out of My Mind
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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.
“Stellantis dealers are in an uproar over this,” said South Florida Jeep-Ram dealer GianMarco Taverna.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
Paul Gigot: So, we’re not going to get rid of cameras, I don’t think, because there’d be an uproar in the internet about how there’s no transparency.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
“Not renewing it would trigger a big uproar from the private sector,” Ziemer says.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
There was widespread uproar in early January, when online sleuths found that someone had made nearly half a million dollars on Maduro's seizure.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
But her warning was lost in the uproar.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
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.
