revolt

verb

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re·volt | \ ri-ˈvōlt

also -ˈvȯlt \

revolted; revolting; revolts

Definition of revolt

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to renounce allegiance or subjection (as to a government) : rebel

2a : to experience disgust or shock

b : to turn away with disgust

transitive verb

: to cause to turn away or shrink with disgust or abhorrence

revolt

noun

Definition of revolt (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a renouncing of allegiance (as to a government or party) especially : a determined armed uprising

2 : a movement or expression of vigorous dissent

Other Words from revolt Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Revolution and Revolt Example Sentences Learn More About revolt

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Choose the Right Synonym for revolt

Noun

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

Revolution and Revolt

Revolution and revolt have a shared origin, both ultimately going back to the Latin revolvere “to revolve, roll back.” When revolution first appeared in English in the 14th century, it referred to the movement of a celestial body in orbit; that sense was extended to “a progressive motion of a body around an axis,” “completion of a course,” and other senses suggesting regularity of motion or a predictable return to an original position. At virtually the same time, the word developed a sharply different meaning, namely, ”a sudden radical, or complete change,” apparently from the idea of reversal of direction implicit in the Latin verb. Revolt , which initially meant “to renounce allegiance,” grew from the same idea of “rolling back,” in this case from a prior bond of loyalty.

Examples of revolt in a Sentence

Verb The group threatened to revolt. All the violence revolted me. Noun the revolt of the slaves The peasants' revolt was crushed by the king. The leader of the group called for revolt. Consumers are in revolt against high prices.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The territories that his generals had subdued began to revolt. — Benjamin Wallace-well, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2021 Regulars of the Mayflower Inn in Washington, CT, have been known to revolt when this tomato salad isn’t on the menu. — Dani Shapiro, Bon Appétit, 10 Aug. 2021 Challenging for professionals, the play is hardly the best choice for a college drama production, and yet Theater Studies professor Miranda Fitch will not be swayed — even as her students threaten to revolt. — BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2021 But as labor shortages grew during World War I and inflation rose at the end of the war, workers began to revolt. — Alana Semuels, Time, 22 July 2021 The bipartisan talks have not concluded either, with Republicans threatening to revolt against Schumer's deadline if the negotiations aren't finished by Wednesday. — Manu Raju And Lauren Fox, CNN, 16 July 2021 France had declared war on Austria in the misguided hope that the population would revolt. — Shaun Assael, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 June 2021 Negotiations fell apart in May 2013 when Beaumont doctors threatened to revolt. — Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 17 June 2021 But Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun, his eighth novel and first book since winning the Nobel Prize in 2017, issues a quieter, stranger warning: The machines may never revolt. — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun On Capitol Hill, some Republicans were in revolt after the Capitol's attending physician sent a memo informing members that masks would again have to be worn inside the House at all times. — Star Tribune, 29 July 2021 When law enforcement goes after the killers, the colonists, backed by Canadian financing and mercenaries, take up arms in open revolt. — Jason Stanford, Time, 9 June 2021 Grant, Baker, Lake, Sherman and Malheur Counties, the five currently in revolt, are huge in area but minuscule in population and thus political clout at the capital in Salem. — New York Times, 21 May 2021 Worse yet, what does a company do when its top talent is in revolt? — Paul Blanchard, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2021 People saw the difference between how white people were treated during a revolt versus how Blacks were treated during their peaceful protests on behalf of social justice reform and Black Lives Matter. — Gail Mitchell, Billboard, 5 Feb. 2021 Hamill was editor-in-chief of The New York Post in 1993 during a famous newsroom revolt against would-be publisher Abe Hirschfeld. — NBC News, 5 Aug. 2020 Per the statement, all 80 workers employed at the site were sent to help put down the revolt, which found tens of thousands unsuccessfully rebelling against Cromwell’s Reformation policies. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 July 2021 The town’s historic architecture was put to use in Steven Spielberg’s 1997 movie Amistad, about the 1839 slave ship revolt, as well as in the 2012 romantic comedy Hope Springs, starring Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. — John Mariani, Forbes, 6 July 2021

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