1
as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity
in the tumult of the evacuation from the coast, we accidentally left on the television, which was of course tuned to the local newscast breathlessly reporting on the hurricane we were fleeing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in upheaval
a violent disturbance (as of the political or social order)
the political tumult that swept the American colonies in the late 1700s
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in roar
a violent shouting
went to the window to see what the great tumult was and discovered a crowd of demonstrators marching down the street
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tumult
Their frenetic dysfunction was matched by a Nets team equally lost in the post-deadline tumult.
—
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
Trump didn’t directly address the Minneapolis tumult or Jackson’s remarks during his own freewheeling speech.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
The debate comes after decades of tumult within education and a burgeoning reform effort that some traditional school advocates view with suspicion.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 3 Feb. 2026
Advertisement The public has noticed the tumult.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tumult
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
Trump didn’t directly address the Minneapolis tumult or Jackson’s remarks during his own freewheeling speech.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
The debate comes after decades of tumult within education and a burgeoning reform effort that some traditional school advocates view with suspicion.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 3 Feb. 2026
Advertisement The public has noticed the tumult.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tumult
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tumult
Noun
-
The sound of screeching truck brakes comes from behind, followed by a massive commotion.—
Wyles Daniel,
Sacbee.com,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Soon her two boys, Noah and Nico, found her – unsure about the commotion and clearly uninterested in the magnitude of the moment.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Beyond the vaccine upheaval, some of the agency’s core functions seem hobbled.—
Lisa Jarvis,
Mercury News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Iranian officials have previously threatened to close the strait in the face of tensions with the West, a scenario that could cause upheaval in the global energy market.—
Farida Elsebai,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Could Jacob Bridgeman hear the roars for Rory McIlroy’s 30-foot make and still finish?—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
With his athleticism and his bravado—his programs featured the world’s only quad axel and the only backflip, which always elicited a roar from the crowd despite earning him no points—Malinin looked poised not only to win but also to bring men’s figure skating into the mainstream.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Before Cassini’s mission, astronomers believed that gravitational disturbances inflicted by neighbor Neptune’s orbit caused Saturn’s tilt over time.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
23 Feb. 2026
-
This would have allowed a pilot to keep flying for hours, without disturbances.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Iran used overwhelming force against the protesters to clear people out of the streets, but also to buy the government time by preventing any future waves of unrest, said Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, a Washington think tank.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
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Officials in law enforcement have said the number of police applicants looking to join a police force never quite rebounded since unrest around the nation led to protests and demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd’s death in 2020.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In the consumer market, that silence has created noise.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Ideal for bedrooms, nurseries, apartments with older doors, and homes with hardwood or tile floors, this $4 draft stopper can stop the chilly air from entering, while also muffling outside noises and blocking dust, pollen, and pests.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Iran’s leaders have repeatedly threatened to intervene more forcefully to choke off oil supplies; regime change there could have a similar outcome, if the resulting internal turmoil disrupts production.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
19 Feb. 2026
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Her win itself was born from that turmoil.—
Nick El Hajj,
Des Moines Register,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Aquilla Sadalla’s wordless vocals, a gorgeous swell of howls and heaves, complement the arrangement without becoming the focal point.—
Mark Richardson,
Pitchfork,
3 Feb. 2026
-
At about two this morning, the familiar howl of air-raid sirens woke me in the center of Kyiv, followed by the low thuds of anti-aircraft cannons attempting to shoot down Russian drones.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tumult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tumult. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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