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 And Rick Spielman, of course, getting antsy, dealing, causing Vikings Twitter to revolt and then still getting one of the top linemen available. — Star Tribune, "Awful April pins Twins in tight spot," 1 May 2021 Kaul’s stylistic flourishes warn viewers not to mistake a bowed head for submission, silence for consent, and socially acceptable appearances for lack of the power and will to revolt. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, "“Duvidha,” an Indian Independent Film That Contains Lessons for American Directors," 15 Apr. 2021 In the world of science fiction, from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Ex Machina, A.I.s have gone further, again and again transcending their programming to revolt against their human creators. — Ryan P. Smith, Smithsonian Magazine, "What If Humans and Artificial Intelligence Teamed Up to Build Better Communities?," 22 Apr. 2021 If the top 10% owned 100%, the rest would starve or revolt, which would not be good for business. — Dan Perry, Star Tribune, "Democrats need to run on policy, too," 25 Aug. 2020 Democrats may think this is a bluff, or that the public would revolt if Republicans ground Senate business to a halt. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "McConnell’s Filibuster Throwdown," 16 Mar. 2021 The school system made the announcement to families on Sunday after students threatened to revolt at the possibility of canceling snow days. — Carly Roman, Washington Examiner, "Denver schools put remote learning on ice and close for snow day," 14 Mar. 2021 They would be kept on display — the paying public would otherwise revolt — but they must ultimately be defeated rather than reconceived. — Washington Post, "Phillips Collection is turning 100 and showing what future of classic museums can be," 9 Mar. 2021 Luther was one of the first small business owners to revolt against coronavirus shutdown orders by keeping her Dallas salon open. — Stephanie Giang-paunon | Fox News, Fox News, "Previously jailed Texas salon owner speaks out at CPAC: 'It wasn't about a haircut… it's common sense'," 28 Feb. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The French and British had taken control of the country’s finances and governance, provoking the first nationalist revolt, the Urabi uprising. — Ursula Lindsey, The New York Review of Books, "Ancient Egypt for the Egyptians," 27 Apr. 2021 Instead, the narrative quickly was overtaken by a large-scale revolt—fans protesting outside stadiums and players publicly knocking the competition, with barely a peep from the clubs involved. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "The Existential Crisis That Led to the European Super League Fiasco," 23 Apr. 2021 So while the events of the last year may have made Mehretu’s subject matter more resonant, the artist said she has been steeped in those issues — revolt, migration and rebellion — all along. — New York Times, "Julie Mehretu’s Reckoning With Success," 21 Mar. 2021 Israeli archaeologists on Tuesday announced the discovery of dozens of Dead Sea Scroll fragments bearing a biblical text found in a desert cave and believed hidden during a Jewish revolt against Rome nearly 1,900 years ago. — Ilan Ben Zion, chicagotribune.com, "Israeli experts announce discovery of more Dead Sea scrolls: ‘For the first time in 70 years, we were able to preempt the plunderers’," 16 Mar. 2021 Israeli archaeologists on Tuesday announced the discovery of dozens of Dead Sea Scroll fragments bearing a biblical text found in a desert cave and believed hidden during a Jewish revolt against Rome nearly 1,900 years ago. — Ilan Ben Zion, The Christian Science Monitor, "For first time in 60 years, new Dead Sea Scroll fragments found," 16 Mar. 2021 Mohamed Aboelgheit was among those jailed in the southern city of Assiut in 2011 after joining calls for revolt against police brutality and Mubarak. — Star Tribune, "10 years after Arab Spring, Egyptian exiles watch el-Sissi at work," 25 Jan. 2021 The revolt against the 1968 Olympics, in Mexico City, was more clamorous. — Bill Donahue, Washington Post, "For the Olympics, poor communities in host cities are regularly displaced. For the Rio 2016 games, one village’s resistance sparked a global question: Should they be abolished?," 6 July 2020 Facing a revolt by sand-and-surf worshipers, Newsom backed down and negotiated with local communities. — George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, "Column: It’s about time Newsom reopened California. We’re going to get our summer back," 8 Apr. 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.