uprising

noun

up·​ris·​ing ˈəp-ˌrī-ziŋ 

: an act or instance of rising up

especially : a usually localized act of popular violence in defiance usually of an established government

Synonyms

• revolt
• insurrection
• rebellion
• mutiny

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

The square was built on the location of the 1789 uprising and where the Bastille prison, an emblem of tyranny, once stood and was dismantled. —Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025

The riot in Milwaukee, one of scores of uprisings around the United States during the summer of 1967, triggered a citywide lockdown, brought the National Guard — and laid bare the city's racial divide. —Chris Foran, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Tensions between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) came to a head in April 2023, four years after the fall of longtime President Omar al-Bashir at the hands of a popular uprising. —Robert Birsel john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025

The Dalai Lama has been the key figure quelling violence when grassroots dissatisfaction has escalated into episodic uprisings in Tibet. —Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for uprising

• advising
• apprising
• arising
• baptizing
• capsizing
• chastising
• comprising
• despising
• devising
• disguising
• downsizing
• excising

Kids Definition

uprising

noun

up·​ris·​ing ˈəp-ˌrī-ziŋ 

: an act or instance of rising up