: a state of commotion, excitement, or violent disturbance
Examples of uproar in a Sentence
There was a lot of public uproar over the proposed jail.
There have been uproars in the past over similar proposals.
The proposal caused an uproar.
The town was in an uproar over the proposal to build a jail.
Recent Examples on the Web
Xue Ke does indeed discover the little maid she’s grown fond of is her daughter, and after several more episodes, this secret is found out by everyone in her household, causing an uproar.
—
Karissa Chen, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025
But it was significantly pared back after a massive uproar that extended from St. Augustine to the Beach and Key West.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2025
Last week’s days of action on beneficiary programs were usurped by Abrego Garcia’s deportation, which caused an uproar in Democratic circles.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 21 Apr. 2025
The response sparked an uproar among Canadian Jewish organizations, such as the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), which tweeted an objection to Carney’s comments.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for uproar
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Karissa Chen, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025
But it was significantly pared back after a massive uproar that extended from St. Augustine to the Beach and Key West.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2025
Last week’s days of action on beneficiary programs were usurped by Abrego Garcia’s deportation, which caused an uproar in Democratic circles.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 21 Apr. 2025
The response sparked an uproar among Canadian Jewish organizations, such as the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), which tweeted an objection to Carney’s comments.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for uproar
Cite this Entry
“Uproar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uproar. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
uproar
noun
up·roar
ˈəp-ˌrō(ə)r 
-ˌrȯ(ə)r
: a state of commotion, excitement, or violent disturbance
Etymology
from Dutch oproer "revolt, uprising," from op "up" and roer "motion"; the English spelling and meaning influenced by the similarity of the English roar to Dutch roer
Word Origin
The -roar part of the word uproar has no connection with the sounds made by some animals and crowds. The first use of uproar was as the translation of the Dutch word oproer, meaning "uprising, rebellion, revolt." Thus, the first meaning of uproar was the same as the Dutch meaning of oproer. Nowadays, this sense of uproar is no longer used. Because people thought that the roar of uproar referred to loud cries and sounds, they began to use the word to mean "a noisy disturbance or commotion." This is the sense of uproar that has survived.
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