upheaval

noun up·heav·al \ ˌəp-ˈhē-vəl , (ˌ)ə-ˈpē- \

Definition of upheaval

1 : the action or an instance of upheaving especially of part of the earth's crust

2 : extreme agitation or disorder : radical change; also : an instance of this

See upheaval defined for English-language learners

See upheaval defined for kids

Examples of upheaval in a Sentence

The civil rights movement marked a period of social upheaval in the U.S.
the emotional upheaval of divorce
a period of cultural and social upheavals
The island was created by an upheaval of the ocean floor.
The lake was formed by geologic upheaval.

Recent Examples of upheaval from the Web

In this fierce and unsettling novel, the ability to generate a dangerous electrical force from their bodies lets women take control, resulting in a vast, systemic upheaval of gender dynamics across the globe.

— New York Times, "11 New Books We Recommend This Week," 2 Nov. 2017
Where there’s the constant pressure of roster upheaval due to promotion and relegation.

— mark zeigler, sandiegouniontribune.com, "The best thing that ever happened to US soccer," 11 Oct. 2017
But the revelation comes at a time of major upheaval in the university's athletics ranks that some worry could jeopardize the arena's financial future.

— phillip m. bailey, The Courier-Journal, "Brown-Forman drops KFC Yum Center luxury suite; denies it is related to U of L troubles," 5 Oct. 2017
During the past decade, the New York fashion industry has been in upheaval over the subject of diversity, or the lack of it.

— robin givhan, chicagotribune.com, "Fashion is finally figuring out diversity - in ways that actually matter," 7 Sep. 2017
This is partly because the memories of political upheaval remain so fresh in Japan.

— anna fifield, Washington Post, "Abe offers stability — and in Japan, that’s sufficient," 19 Oct. 2017
So too was deficit government financing, which could merely push costs to a future generation and make the territory vulnerable to financial upheaval.

— The Economist, "Meet the invisible hand behind Hong Kong’s rise," 5 Oct. 2017
Republican leaders in that state have blamed news organizations for creating a false sense of economic upheaval.

— john sharp, AL.com, "Gov. Ivey on Roy Moore: 'Anyone elected to office' should be pro-development," 29 Sep. 2017
The television business is in a period of upheaval as consumers shut off their cable subscriptions, turning away from channels like MSG and AMC and toward Netflix, Facebook and Snapchat for entertainment.

— gerry smith, chicagotribune.com, "Knicks make a winner out of Jim Dolan even as TV businesses sour," 7 Sep. 2017

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

First Known Use of upheaval

1838

upheaval Synonyms

Synonyms

cataclysm, convulsion, earthquake, paroxysm, storm, tempest, tumult, uproar;

fit, seizure, spasm;

eruption, flare-up, outbreak, outburst;

bluster, bobbery, bustle, coil, commotion, furor, furore, fuss, hubbub, hullabaloo, hurly-burly, pandemonium, rout, row, ruckus, ruction, rumpus, shindy, squall, stew, stir, to-do, turmoil, welter, williwaw;

quaking, rocking, shaking, trembling;

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

UPHEAVAL Defined for English Language Learners

upheaval

noun

Definition of upheaval for English Language Learners

: a major change or period of change that causes a lot of conflict, confusion, anger, etc.
: an occurrence in which a part of the Earth's surface moves up forcefully