upheaval

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

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: upheaval in a Sentence

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

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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

The dispute was among the first consequences of political upheaval in Italy, where anti-migrant leaders recently rose to power with a pledge to crack down on new arrivals from the Middle East and Africa.

— chico harlan, Washington Post, "Italy’s new government sends immigration message by rejecting rescue ship," 11 June 2018
The latest upheaval of Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, comes on the heels of an eruption cycle that began in 1983 and continued almost nonstop for 35 years, destroying more than 200 dwellings and other structures.

— author: terray sylvester, Anchorage Daily News, "Three people trapped by lava airlifted to safety near Hawaii volcano," 4 June 2018
The political upheaval that has created western Europe's first populist government this week has been dubbed the start of Italy's Third Republic.

— nicole winfield, chicagotribune.com, "New Italian government vows to create jobs, deport migrants," 2 June 2018
More worryingly, political upheaval in the eurozone’s third-largest member threatens a fresh outbreak of government debt and banking crises the ECB has worked hard to contain over the past six years.

— paul hannon, WSJ, "Eurozone Inflation Jumps, but Uncertainty Still Clouds ECB Outlook," 31 May 2018
Over the last year, the president has been systematically ending Temporary Protected Status for immigrant groups who were granted amnesty in the United States following natural disasters or political upheaval in their own countries.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "Trump Explodes at Staff for Not Deporting Immigrants Faster," 11 May 2018
Uranus is known as the planet of sudden change, upheaval, and revolution, but one of his favorite activities is questioning authority and social programming.

— refinery29.com, "Your May Horoscope, Revealed," 1 May 2018
Heineken’s namesake brand had double-digit volume growth in Brazil in 2017, which is improving after a slump caused by a currency devaluation and political upheaval.

— thomas buckley, Bloomberg.com, "Heineken Sees Brazil Profit Drag in Showdown With AB InBev," 12 Feb. 2018
The political upheaval brings flashbacks of tensions 30 years ago, when South Korea hosted its first Olympics in the summer of 1988 in Seoul under threat from North Korea.

— cindy george, Houston Chronicle, "Olympics start soon. Why South Koreans in Houston are upset.," 7 Feb. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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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