1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

upsurges

noun

plural of upsurge
as in upheavals
a rapid or sudden increase a recent upsurge in crime The mayor is enjoying an upsurge of popularity.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 upsurges These extra-institutional mass upsurges have posed the greatest challenges to the Hindu nationalist political order helmed by Modi. — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upsurges
  1. upheavals
  2. rises
Noun
  • As in Pachinko, Lee captures the consequences that systemic historical upheavals visit upon private life.
    — Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • But external leadership quickly devolves if our inner landscapes are left scattered to the wind during massive, often uninvited personal upheavals.
    — Patrick Murphy, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of upheavals
Noun
  • But as the cost of living rises and the economy struggles, even the humble snack is feeling the impact.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The News Cafe pushed Miami Beach to a new golden era that has outlasted its regular rises and falls.
    — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of rises

Browse Nearby Words

upsurge
upsurges
upsweep
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Upsurges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upsurges. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tactile

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All