tumult

noun

ˈtü-ˌməlt How to pronounce tumult (audio)
Definition of tumultnext
1
as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity in the tumult of the evacuation from the coast, we accidentally left on the television, which was of course tuned to the local newscast breathlessly reporting on the hurricane we were fleeing

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2
as in upheaval
a violent disturbance (as of the political or social order) the political tumult that swept the American colonies in the late 1700s

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3
as in roar
a violent shouting went to the window to see what the great tumult was and discovered a crowd of demonstrators marching down the street

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tumult The tumult that has defined the probe exposes a familiar gap between White House demands for speedy action and the Justice Department's ability to craft the president's litany of grievances into a prosecutable case. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026 The thousands of square miles of mountain watershed around us, the San Gabriels and the San Bernardinos, are as steep as roller coasters, and the rain funnels off them in tumults. — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026 Vitale arrives at Emporio following a period of such professional tumult that his future employment became a cause célèbre. — Luke Leitch, Vogue, 16 Sep. 2026 That decision, had it been followed through, would have resulted in the match being forfeited and a tumult of political and financial ramifications. — James Wallace, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tumult
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tumult
  1. commotion
  2. upheaval
  3. roar
  4. disturbance
  5. unrest
  6. noise
  7. turmoil
  8. howl
Noun
  • Christian and Laura Stone had stopped by to see what was causing the commotion after noticing the emergency light while taking their kids to school.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Deep Ellum business owner Barry McCary noticed the commotion and started recording video.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of commotion
Noun
  • The urgency of their push comes as major European companies undergo huge job losses — Volkswagen plans to cut 100,000 workers — which experts have said could drive political upheaval.
    — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The turnaround has revived some fans’ hopes, but years of coaching and front-office upheaval and the departure of popular players have eroded trust.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of upheaval
Noun
  • The roar of the engines vibrated through the fuselage, rattling bones and teeth, while supply crates shifted and groaned with every lurch.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Finally, the structure crumbled in a roar of broken concrete and a cloud of dust.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of roar
Noun
  • While all of Saturday will be dry, skies will trend partly to mostly cloudy as the cloud shield with Isaias and an upper-level disturbance spread into the region.
    — Trey Fulbright, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Officers arrived after a disturbance between two neighbors escalated to one man shooting another, police said.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of disturbance
Noun
  • India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines are among the countries that are most exposed to food security risk from the super El Niño and also face the highest risk of civil unrest due to rising prices, Verisk Maplecroft said.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • French youths have been demonstrating over poor conditions at school buildings, and analysts expect unrest to intensify after a teenager’s hand was blown off by a riot police sting grenade.
    — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of unrest
Noun
  • Having produced one such number per participant, the standard approach then pools all of them into a group average, on the assumption that individual differences are noise that will be canceled out.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The Trojans have to do more than navigate crowd noise to post their first victory there.
    — Jordan Puente, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of noise
Noun
  • But deeper into the hills of the Ivy League institution, a homemade banner hanging from student co-op housing Saturday signals roiling turmoil.
    — Taylor Galgano, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The song, written with Dan Wilson, isn’t just a story of the turmoil that befell the band post-2003.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of turmoil
Noun
  • The second slide was a video (without sound) of the couple’s first kiss, which King prefaced with what looked like a howl of joy, followed by a series of passionate kisses and an arms-in-the-air yelp from the groom.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 5 Oct. 2026
  • With every whimper, sigh, howl, bark and head tilt, these dogs create an empathetic portrayal of a highly intelligent creature that has been through battle and has the scars (and nightmares) to prove it.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of howl

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tumuli
tumult
tumults
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Cite this Entry

“Tumult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tumult. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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