revolt

1 of 2

verb

re·​volt ri-ˈvōlt 

 also  -ˈvȯlt

revolted; revolting; revolts

intransitive verb

1

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

2

a

: to experience disgust or shock

b

: to turn away with disgust

transitive verb

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

revolter noun

revolt

2 of 2

noun

1

: a renouncing of allegiance (as to a government or party)

especially : a determined armed uprising

2

: a movement or expression of vigorous dissent

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms

Verb

• disgust
• gross out
• nauseate
• put off
• repel
• repulse
• sicken
• turn off

Noun

• insurgence
• insurgency
• insurrection
• mutiny
• outbreak
• rebellion
• revolution
• rising
• uprising

Choose the Right Synonym for revolt

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

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

Johnson broke up this fiscal year's spending bills into two parts as House Republicans revolted against what has become an annual practice of asking them to vote for one massive, complex bill called an omnibus with little time to review it or face a shutdown. —Democrat-Gazette Staff and Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 23 Mar. 2024

The 1,012-page legislation, which lumped six spending bills into one package, faced an uphill climb in the House after ultraconservatives revolted over the measure. —Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024

One thing that sets Reddit’s users apart from those of other social media platforms is their willingness to revolt in the face of frustrating management. —Chris Velazco, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024

But newly hired Nanette Cole, played by Cristin Milioti, ends up encouraging the other crew members to revolt against their captain. —Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024

Hardline conservatives have revolted over the chamber’s passage of earlier stopgap funding bills and over a topline deal the speaker struck with Schumer to set spending close to $1.66 trillion overall. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2024

But the part-time New Jersey, part-time Palm Beach, FL resident told me that her family was going to revolt if this dish did not make it to her Thanksgiving table. —Melissa Oyler, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024

Politics in Brief Funding fight: House GOP hardliners revolted against the bipartisan spending deal that would avert a shutdown by tanking a procedural vote on an unrelated bill. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 11 Jan. 2024

This did not sit well with Judah's king, Jehoiakim, who revolted against the Babylonian king in 601 BCE despite being warned not to do so by the prophet Jeremiah. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 31 Dec. 2023

Noun

Johnson, who is facing a small revolt within his own conference and will need to rely on Democratic votes to advance the package, told members to expect a final passage vote on the package Saturday evening. —John Parkinson, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2024

Their revolt is reshaping European policy — officials who previously promised to put the environment first and lead the world in a green transition have scrambled to walk back some of their own rules. —Emily Rauhala, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024

The Haitian revolution that culminated in 1804 was the most successful slave revolt in modern history. —David Ingram, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024

The former Republican National Committee chairwoman was hired as an on-air political commentator but released just days later after an on-air revolt by the network’s leading stars. —Lauren Hirsch, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024

But a revolt among moderates and GOP lawmakers in at-risk seats put that sect of the party on a collision course with the conservative ideologues. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 2 Apr. 2024

With the public incensed at what many see as Haredi privilege, Netanyahu is facing revolt within his ranks. —Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2024

The Palestinian cause, which was sidelined after the 2011 Arab Spring revolts, is again central to the politics of the Middle East, thanks to Hamas’s attacks on October 7. —Bernard Haykel, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2024

In 1780, a member of the native nobility, Túpac Amaru, launched a revolt against the Spanish. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

borrowed from Middle French revolter, as reflexive se revolter "to turn about, change sides, turn away (from a belief, adherence), rebel," borrowed from Italian revoltare, revottare (later rivoltare) "to turn over, turn inside out, cause to rebel, disgust," from re- re- + voltare "to turn," going back to Vulgar Latin *volvitāre, iterative of Latin volvere "to set in a circular course, cause to roll, bring round" — more at wallow entry 1

Noun

borrowed from Middle French revolte, noun derivative of revolter, as reflexive se revolter "to turn about, change sides, turn away (from a belief, adherence), rebel" — more at revolt entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1539, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing revolt

• rise (up) in revolt
• stage a revolt

Kids Definition

revolt

1 of 2 verb

re·​volt ri-ˈvōlt 

1

: to rise up against the authority of a ruler or government

2

: to feel or cause to feel disgust or shock

revolter noun

revolt

2 of 2 noun

1

: an act or instance of revolting

2

: an open and often violent rising up against authority