Definition of upsurge
: a rapid or sudden rise an upsurge in interest
From the M-W Editors
Recent Examples of upsurge from the Web
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The upsurge in violence in Central African Republic began late last year.
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The upsurge of violence threatened to wreck a U.S. peace drive intended to help bolster Arab support for the U.S.-led anti-terror campaign in Afghanistan, and raised fears that the Middle East conflict could spiral out of control.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'upsurge'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
An upsurge in drug use sometimes leads to an upsurge in crime. An upsurge of flu cases can be cause for alarm. And an upsurge of fury at overpaid CEOs might lead to new legislation to restrain high salaries. We seem to use upsurge more in negative contexts than in positive ones, but not always; we usually welcome an upsurge of consumer confidence, an upsurge in new-car sales, or an upsurge in the stock market.
First Known Use of upsurge
1917
UPSURGE Defined for English Language Learners
upsurge
playDefinition of upsurge for English Language Learners
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: a rapid or sudden increase or rise
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