Choose the Right Synonym for rebellion

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

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Plenty of teenagers rebel against their parents in all kinds of ways. But a rebellion usually involves a group. Armed rebellions are usually put down by a country's armed forces, or at least kept from expanding beyond a small area. The American War of Independence was first viewed by the British as a minor rebellion that would soon run its course, but this particular rebellion led to a full-fledged revolution--that is, the overthrow of a government. Rebellion, armed or otherwise, has often alerted those in power that those they control are very unhappy.

Examples of rebellion in a Sentence

The king's army suppressed the rebellion. The unfair tax laws sparked a rebellion. The peasants rose in rebellion. She's the head of a rebellion against the leaders of the party. Recent election losses have led to open rebellion among some party members, who are calling for a complete change of leadership.

Recent Examples on the Web The annexation of West Florida in 1810 began with a rebellion by wealthy planters against the Spanish, secretly supported by the Madison administration and quickly followed by the deployment of American troops. — Osita Nwanevu, The New Republic, 24 Aug. 2021 The shooting near the military side of the airport came as the Taliban sent fighters northward to face a nascent rebellion against the insurgents who seized the country over a week ago in a lightning offensive. — BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2021 While there has so far been no armed opposition to the Taliban, there are early signs of a potential rebellion brewing in the one area of the country not under the group's rule. — NBC News, 19 Aug. 2021 Africans enslaved in the French colony launched a rebellion in 1791, beating Napoleon’s army. — Tara Adhikari, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Aug. 2021 But in 1998 the DNR went public with a statewide plan for OHV which for the vast amount of our public lands became a free-for-all for OHVs and triggered a quasi-rebellion by the people in north-central Minnesota known as the Jack Pine Coalition. — Star Tribune, 1 Aug. 2021 As always, Claire and Jamie's story is intertwined with history, and in season five, that means a rebellion in the colonies. — Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 25 July 2021 Castro took over through a rebellion, and Cuba has not had a free and fair election in over half a century. — Aron Ravin, National Review, 20 July 2021 More than 200 years after slaves on the island of Hispaniola led a successful rebellion against French colonial government and proclaimed their liberty and independence, Haitians still aren’t free. — Mary Anastasia O’grady, WSJ, 7 July 2021

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