groundswell

noun ground·swell \ ˈgrau̇nd-ˌswel \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Definition of groundswell

1 usually ground swell : a broad deep undulation of the ocean caused by an often distant gale or seismic disturbance

2 : a rapid spontaneous growth (as of political opinion)

a groundswell of support

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Recent Examples of groundswell from the Web

There seems to be a massive groundswell of companies that are popping up yet the practical applications for the technology are not yet super clear.

— polina marinova, Fortune, "Founders Fund Partner Talks Privacy, Facebook, and His Time at Peter Thiel’s Secretive Data Company," 6 June 2018
The groundswell of outrage stemming from his benching by former head coach Ben McAdoo in December was a signal from the fan base that Manning was still on a pedestal.

— conor orr, SI.com, "Why Are the Giants Still Building Around 37-Year-Old Eli Manning?," 4 May 2018
Now comes proof that the groundswell is more than just a passing tremor: Two of the country’s largest craft brewers are making their own versions of the style.

— orr shtuhl, New York Times, "Two Big Brewers Try to Cash In on an I.P.A. Craze," 18 Jan. 2018
An unprecedented groundswell of at least 70 black women have launched electoral campaigns across Alabama for local, state, and national offices in 2018, according to the nonprofit Emerge America, which trains women to run for office.

— shaniqwa jarvis, Glamour, "'It's Our Time': Meet 18 Candidates Leading the Historic Rise of Black Women Running for Office in Alabama," 24 May 2018
President Obama not only set up the landmark nuclear deal with Iran, their enemy, but supported the Arab Spring — a groundswell movement which targeted the region’s dictatorships — and opted against intervening in the Syrian civil war.

— chas danner, Daily Intelligencer, "Beyond Russia: Understanding the New Trump Campaign Collusion Story," 20 May 2018
Since Parkland, there has been a groundswell of activism at high schools, with students walking out to demand action on gun control.

— zack beauchamp, Vox, "A Santa Fe High School student says she expected to be shot at one day," 18 May 2018
Under Trump, an exciting groundswell of activism has appeared.

— peter-christian aigner, The New Republic, "The Long, Tortured History of the Job Guarantee," 11 May 2018
The club gained a groundswell of local and national support for MLS expansion and was later named an expansion finalist.

— patrick brennan, Cincinnati.com, "U.S. Open Cup: Detroit City FC, Michigan Bucks play with FC Cincinnati date on the line," 9 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'groundswell.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of groundswell

1786

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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GROUNDSWELL Defined for English Language Learners

groundswell

noun

Definition of groundswell for English Language Learners

: a fast increase in the amount of public support for something (such as a political cause or candidate)

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