Definition of REVOLT

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 Victor Hugo would make this republican revolt the climax of his epic novel Les Misérables. — Maurice Samuels, Time, "Conspiracy Theories, Class Tension, Political Intrigue: Lessons From France’s Mishandling of a 19th Century Cholera Outbreak," 15 May 2020 The New York Post last week reported that year-round residents in the Hamptons have revolted against a new influx of part-time refugees from New York City. — Shawn Donnan, Bloomberg.com, "Protectionism Goes Local in Towns, States Battling Virus," 10 May 2020 Prior to Turkey's creation, the Ottoman Empire — which rose in 1299, or 720 years ago — saw some tension with its Kurdish population and a period in the mid-1800s when some Kurdish chieftains revolted. — Hope Yen And Calvin Woodward, chicagotribune.com, "Fact check: Did Trump hear the Islamic State leader die ‘whimpering and crying ... like a dog'? The Pentagon has no idea what he’s talking about.," 2 Nov. 2019 Rapping in two languages spliced with street slang was also a way to revolt against a Québécois cultural elite dominated by white Francophone artists. — Dan Bilefsky, New York Times, "‘What Rhymes With Purell?’ Franglais Rappers Push Language Boundaries in Quebec," 7 Apr. 2020 But across the country, including in California, pastors have revolted against stay-at-home orders, pitting public health concerns against claims of religious freedom. — Los Angeles Times, "Newsletter: The ‘hardest, saddest’ days ahead," 6 Apr. 2020 But then rogue synthetics mysteriously revolted and destroyed the Starfleet armada that had been evacuating the Romulans. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Review: Elegiac Star Trek: Picard brings all the feels in bittersweet finale," 28 Mar. 2020 The move caused investors to revolt and subscribers to flee, and Netflix ultimately reversed course. — Nina Trentmann, WSJ, "Netflix CFO David Wells to Step Down," 13 Aug. 2018 A year into the Civil War, President Lincoln waged war on Dakota lands after the tribes revolted due to the federal government failing to uphold its treaty responsibilities and deliver food and goods to the tribal nations. — Nick Martin, The New Republic, "This Is Crisis Colonization," 30 Mar. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The fighters held out almost a month in what was the first city revolt of World War II. — BostonGlobe.com, "Churches mostly empty for Orthodox Easter due to virus rules," 19 Apr. 2020 Trump-ism is, in part, a rural, white populist revolt against the influence and values of America’s big, racially and ethnically diverse cities. — Los Angeles Times, "Trump’s coronavirus gamble," 17 Apr. 2020 The swell of revolt, perhaps regrettably, has since subsided—but not for Maria Grazia Chiuri. — Barry Samaha, Harper's BAZAAR, "Christian Dior Comments on “Consent” with Its Fall 2020 Collection," 25 Feb. 2020 Analysts say the movement to remove Morales was an urban middle-class revolt against the former president’s efforts to hang onto power. — Washington Post, "Food, gasoline shortages reported in Bolivian cities," 19 Nov. 2019 When my family heard the table had sold, there was a full-scale revolt that involved three people unanimously, loudly vetoing my decision to get rid of it during dinner at our current dining room table. — Cindy Dampier, chicagotribune.com, "Cruising Craigslist for new furniture, with an 'Empire' set decorator as your guide," 24 May 2018 Set in Scotland hundreds of years after the revolt of William Wallace, the film is worth a look. — Mike Rose, cleveland, "5 movies turning 25 this month to consider adding to your home-viewing list," 14 Apr. 2020 The revolt included inmates from multiple parts of the complex, including its minimum security facility where the state has said at least three inmates have been infected with coronavirus, Trooper Heather Axtman told CNN. — Andy Rose, CNN, "Hundreds of inmates rioted after officials announced coronavirus cases in a Washington state facility," 9 Apr. 2020 During the Egyptian revolution in January 2011, in urging Copts to stay at home during the revolts, the Coptic Church leaders warned that Mubarak’s removal from power might cause uncertainty for Christians under a new regime. — Ramazan Kılınç, The Conversation, "Mubarak’s lasting legacy on Egypt’s Coptic Christians," 17 Mar. 2020

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.