upheaval

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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

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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

The streets in Texas flooded by Hurricane Harvey brought upheaval to nature’s earthbound creatures, throwing them out of their natural habitats into a world overwhelmed with water.

— christine hauser, The Seattle Times, "About those floating fire ants that surfaced when Harvey hit," 30 Aug. 2017
According to experts, the chaos and emotional upheaval brought on by extreme events can have an especially negative impact on children.

— hayley glatter, The Atlantic, "How Schoolchildren Will Cope With Hurricane Harvey," 30 Aug. 2017
The Bulldogs play in the rough-and-tumble Southern Conference, a league that's hard to predict after a huge staff upheaval at perennial favorite Chattanooga.

— cheryl wray, AL.com, "Samford looks to improve in 2017 behind All-American QB, strong defense," 23 Aug. 2017
The Ice Storm Thanksgiving is anything but jovial in Ang Lee's The Ice Storm, which is set around the holiday in 1973 Connecticut, where two well-off families struggle with all manner of the-times-they-are-a'-changin' upheaval.

— esquire editors, Esquire, "13 Great Thanksgiving Movies to Watch With Family This Holiday," 16 Aug. 2017
On Vox, Berman goes on to say that in the past, fascism typically rose out of periods of massive political upheaval where cultural norms were quickly shifting, and people felt like there wasn't any hope.

— lily herman, Teen Vogue, "Fascism, Explained," 16 Aug. 2017
Stability should reign where upheaval now does at the most important position.

— greg cote, miamiherald, "Dolphins and Hurricanes’ simultaneous QB upheaval is historic anomaly," 12 Aug. 2017
UAE orchestrated hacking of Qatari government sites, sparking regional upheaval, according to U.S. intelligence officials A feud between Qatar and a group of countries led by Saudi Arabia has worsened.

— rick noack, Washington Post, "ISIS in retreat, and five other stories you might have missed," 20 July 2017
Chief Executive Officer Bob Bakish stepped in last year after months of management upheaval.

— alex sherman, chicagotribune.com, "Scripps deal talks won't solve challenges of skinny bundle world," 19 July 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

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

Other Geology Terms

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

UPHEAVAL Defined for English Language Learners

upheaval

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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