: a state of commotion, excitement, or violent disturbance
Synonyms
- ado
- alarums and excursions
- ballyhoo
- blather
- bluster
- bobbery
- bother
- bustle
- clatter
- clutter [chiefly dialect]
- coil
- commotion
- corroboree [Australian]
- disturbance
- do [chiefly dialect]
- foofaraw
- fun
- furor
- furore
- fuss
- helter-skelter
- hoo-ha
- hoo-hah
- hoopla
- hubble-bubble
- hubbub
- hullabaloo
- hurly
- hurly-burly
- hurricane
- hurry
- hurry-scurry
- hurry-skurry
- kerfuffle [chiefly British]
- moil
- pandemonium
- pother
- row
- ruckus
- ruction
- rumpus
- shindy
- splore [Scottish]
- squall
- stew
- stir
- storm
- to-do
- tumult
- turmoil
- welter
- whirl
- williwaw
- zoo
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
The disqualification of Bell for executing a wall ride on the final lap added to the uproar.
—
David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Amid the public uproar, Ballance Ellis said Sony’s senior leadership mandated diversity and inclusion training.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
The Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post both declined to endorse Trump’s opponent in the final weeks of the election, causing uproar within the media, as well as their internal ranks.
—Sarah Bedford, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 2 Nov. 2024
The case caused an uproar and, in a federal lawsuit, Long and her daughter alleged deputies wrongfully took out a search warrant, seized Cedar, and turned the animal over to fair officials.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for uproar 
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David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Amid the public uproar, Ballance Ellis said Sony’s senior leadership mandated diversity and inclusion training.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
The Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post both declined to endorse Trump’s opponent in the final weeks of the election, causing uproar within the media, as well as their internal ranks.
—Sarah Bedford, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 2 Nov. 2024
The case caused an uproar and, in a federal lawsuit, Long and her daughter alleged deputies wrongfully took out a search warrant, seized Cedar, and turned the animal over to fair officials.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for uproar
Articles Related to uproar
Dictionary Entries Near uproar
Cite this Entry
“Uproar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uproar. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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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