uprising

noun

up·​ris·​ing ˈəp-ˌrī-ziŋ How to pronounce uprising (audio)
: an act or instance of rising up
especially : a usually localized act of popular violence in defiance usually of an established government
Choose the Right Synonym for uprising

rebellion, revolution, uprising, revolt, insurrection, mutiny mean an outbreak against authority.

rebellion implies an open formidable resistance that is often unsuccessful.

open rebellion against the officers

revolution applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government).

a political revolution that toppled the monarchy

uprising implies a brief, limited, and often immediately ineffective rebellion.

quickly put down the uprising

revolt and insurrection imply an armed uprising that quickly fails or succeeds.

a revolt by the Young Turks that surprised party leaders
an insurrection of oppressed laborers

mutiny applies to group insubordination or insurrection especially against naval authority.

a mutiny led by the ship's cook

Examples of uprising in a Sentence

The government quickly put down the uprising. the uprising was quickly and brutally suppressed
Recent Examples on the Web Economic deprivation also may have limited the scope of the uprising in 2022, with few calls for mass strikes at a time of insecurity and a weakened middle class. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024 Yet no words can do justice to the unbelievable spiritual uprising of those days. TIME, 2 Mar. 2024 In 2016, with Egypt having slid back into the authoritarianism that prompted the uprising, Younis launched her own media platform, Al-Manassa, which combined citizen journalism with investigative reporting. Peter Guest, WIRED, 28 Feb. 2024 On the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion, many weary but determined Ukrainians are taking a longer view of the war, pinpointing the Maidan uprising of 2014 as the start of a 10-year conflict with their adversary. Michael Schwirtz, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024 Benioff’s vision for Twitter as a data gold mine to fuel better customer service felt like a sad reality for a product that had once helped orchestrate uprisings in the Middle East and reshaped the global media industry. Kurt Wagner, Fortune, 21 Feb. 2024 Eventually, however, terrorist attacks launched by the Palestine Liberation Organization and an uprising of the Palestinian people against Israeli occupation in the 1980s forced Israel to come to terms with the fact that the situation had become untenable. Martin Indyk, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 Nearly 23 years ago, at the height of the Second Intifada, or uprising, Orient House was shuttered by the Israeli Police. Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 17 Feb. 2024 In late August of 1944, after receiving news of uprisings by citizens against the invaders, some 16,000 soldiers from the Allied Nations met with Georges Bidault (head of France’s Conseil national de la Résistance) and André Tollet (Commander of Comité parisien de la Libération) and entered Paris. Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'uprising.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of uprising was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near uprising

Cite this Entry

“Uprising.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uprising. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

uprising

noun
up·​ris·​ing ˈəp-ˌrī-ziŋ How to pronounce uprising (audio)
: an act or instance of rising up

More from Merriam-Webster on uprising

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