: 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
Her reporting ignites a public uproar as layers of truth and public opinion collide.
—
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 July 2025
The use of a traditional Indian sandal design by Prada has caused an uproar on Indian social media.
—Katharina Buchholz, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
After uproar, Senators Blackburn and Ted Cruz, R.-Texas, agreed on a revised version that aimed to protect children and artists, lessening the moratorium from 10 to 5 years.
—Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
The uproar over a potential link between thimerosal and autism came as a surprise to Orenstein and colleagues.
—Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for uproar
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Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 July 2025
The use of a traditional Indian sandal design by Prada has caused an uproar on Indian social media.
—Katharina Buchholz, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
After uproar, Senators Blackburn and Ted Cruz, R.-Texas, agreed on a revised version that aimed to protect children and artists, lessening the moratorium from 10 to 5 years.
—Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
The uproar over a potential link between thimerosal and autism came as a surprise to Orenstein and colleagues.
—Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 25 June 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 18 Jul. 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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