tumult

noun

tu·​mult ˈtü-ˌməlt 

ˈtyü-,

 also  ˈtə-

1

a

: disorderly agitation or milling about of a crowd usually with uproar and confusion of voices : commotion

b

: a turbulent uprising : riot

2

: hubbub, din

3

a

: violent agitation of mind or feelings

b

: a violent outburst

Synonyms

• ado
• alarums and excursions
• ballyhoo
• blather
• bluster
• bobbery
• bother
• bustle
• clatter
• clutter [chiefly dialect]
• coil
• commotion
• corroboree [Australian]
• disturbance
• do [chiefly dialect]
• foofaraw
• fun
• furor
• furore
• fuss
• helter-skelter
• hoo-ha
• hoo-hah
• hoopla
• hubble-bubble
• hubbub
• hullabaloo
• hurly
• hurly-burly
• hurricane
• hurry
• hurry-scurry
• hurry-skurry
• kerfuffle [chiefly British]
• moil
• pandemonium
• pother
• row
• ruckus
• ruction
• rumpus
• shindy
• splore [Scottish]
• squall
• stew
• stir
• storm
• to-do
• turmoil
• uproar
• welter
• whirl
• williwaw
• zoo

Examples of tumult in a Sentence

We had to shout to be heard over the tumult.

The country was in tumult.

Her mind was in a tumult of emotions.

Recent Examples on the Web

With the tumult of Times Square as a backdrop, Ruth Negga braved the temperatures in a knit dress, with Escola’s friend and frequent collaborator Amy Sedaris just behind her. —Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 12 July 2024

Boeing’s decision to plead guilty to a felony fraud charge for its role in two plane crashes that killed 346 people marks an effort to open a new chapter after a half-decade of tumult and investigations. —Ian Duncan, Washington Post, 8 July 2024

Labour has won a landslide victory in the U.K. election, bringing a decisive end to 14 years of Conservative government marked by austerity, Brexit tumult, the COVID-19 pandemic, and political chaos with five Tory Prime Ministers in a mere six years. —Emma Norris, TIME, 5 July 2024

The state’s decision follows months of tumult at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center — a program under the University of Maryland School of Medicine that oversees research on the Treatment Research Unit. —Angela Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 1 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tumulte, from Anglo-French, from Latin tumultus; perhaps akin to Sanskrit tumula noisy

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

tumult

noun

tu·​mult ˈt(y)ü-ˌməlt 

1

: uproar

a great tumult arose in the stands

2

: great confusion of mind