: a state of commotion, excitement, or violent disturbance
an uproar over the proposed building development
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
But back in the 1980s, the original film caused an uproar at Southern California schools.
—
Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
The uproar over Timothée Chalamet‘s comments on opera and ballet may have died down, but the star’s Call Me by Your Name director has belatedly come to his defense.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2026
The emerging uproar could prove costly for Swalwell if his fundraising dries up, strangling his ability to run campaign ads, or if unions and other groups that endorsed his campaign begin to retract their decisions.
—ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
When legislators summoned airline executives and industry leaders to appear before Congress a month later, some blamed the uproar over the Dao incident for rising tension between passengers and crew.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for uproar
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Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
The uproar over Timothée Chalamet‘s comments on opera and ballet may have died down, but the star’s Call Me by Your Name director has belatedly come to his defense.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2026
The emerging uproar could prove costly for Swalwell if his fundraising dries up, strangling his ability to run campaign ads, or if unions and other groups that endorsed his campaign begin to retract their decisions.
—ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
When legislators summoned airline executives and industry leaders to appear before Congress a month later, some blamed the uproar over the Dao incident for rising tension between passengers and crew.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for uproar
Cite this Entry
“Uproar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uproar. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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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