Meanings
plural tumults
- A violent commotion or agitation, often with a confusion of sounds.
the tumult of the elements
3 more examples
the tumult of the spirits or passions
This is what I wanted my story 'Snapshot' to sound like — a very cold surface, with heat and passion beneath. The icy surface is going to break and you're totally engulfed in the tumult.
1990 December 9, Walta Borawski, quoting Allen Barnett, “'Unfortunately, Life Has Followed Art...'”, in Gay Community News, volume 18, number 21, page 7Football is a game of tumult and glory, of small disappointments and lingering dreams, and Mata has played long enough at the highest level to appreciate these truths.
2018 January 1, Donald McRae, “The Guardian footballer of the year 2017: Juan Mata”, in the Guardian
present singular third person tumults · participle present tumulting · participle past tumulted · past tumulted
- obsoleteTo make a tumult; to be in great commotion.
Importuning and tumulting even to the fear of a revolt.
1643, J[ohn] M[ilton], The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce: […], London: […] T[homas] P[aine] and M[atthew] S[immons] […], →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna state of commotion and noise and confusion
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latintumultus“noise, tumult”
- Old Frenchtumulte
- Englishtumult
From Old French tumulte, from Latin tumultus (“noise, tumult”).
More words from Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek θόρυβος, τύρβη
- θόρυβος (thórubos)noise as made by a crowd
- τύρβη (túrbē)violent commotion or agitation
- ταραχή (tarakhḗ)riot or uprising
Bulgarian глъчка, врява
- глъчка (glăčka)noise as made by a crowd
- врява (vrjava)noise as made by a crowd
- безредици (bezredici)violent commotion or agitation
- метеж (metež)riot or uprising
Catalan tumult, tumult
- tumultnoise as made by a crowd
- tumultriot or uprising
Chinese Mandarin 喧哗
- 喧哗 (xuanhua)noise as made by a crowd
Czech nepokoj
- nepokojnoise as made by a crowd
Danish tumult, tummel
- tumultnoise as made by a crowd
- tummelnoise as made by a crowd
- oprørriot or uprising
Dutch tumult, tumult
- tumultnoise as made by a crowd
- tumultriot or uprising
- oproerriot or uprising
Esperanto tumulto
- tumultoriot or uprising
Finnish hälinä, hulina
- hälinänoise as made by a crowd
- hulinanoise as made by a crowd
- mekkalanoise as made by a crowd
- kuohuntaviolent commotion or agitation
- mellastusviolent commotion or agitation
- mellakkariot or uprising
- meteliriot or uprising
French barouf, baroufe
- baroufnoise as made by a crowd
- baroufenoise as made by a crowd
- bagarreriot or uprising
German Tumult, Krach
- Tumultnoise as made by a crowd
- Krachnoise as made by a crowd
- Lärmnoise as made by a crowd
- lautes Stimmengewirrnoise as made by a crowd
- Tumultviolent commotion or agitation
- chaotisches Durcheinanderviolent commotion or agitation
- Tumultriot or uprising
- Aufstandriot or uprising
Hindi ऊधम, उत्पात
- ऊधम (ūdham)noise as made by a crowd
- उत्पात (utpāt)violent commotion or agitation
- दंगा (daṅgā)riot or uprising
- फसाद (phasād)riot or uprising
- उत्पात (utpāt)riot or uprising
Italian tumulto, tumulto
- tumultonoise as made by a crowd
- tumultoriot or uprising
Latin clāmor, tumultus
- clāmornoise as made by a crowd
- tumultusnoise as made by a crowd
Māori rarī
- rarīnoise as made by a crowd
Persian هیاهو, سروصدا
- هیاهو (hayâhu)noise as made by a crowd
- سروصدا (sar-o-sedâ)noise as made by a crowd
Polish tumult, zamieszki
- tumultnoise as made by a crowd
- zamieszkiviolent commotion or agitation
Portuguese tumulto, clamor
- tumultonoise as made by a crowd
- clamornoise as made by a crowd
- tumultoriot or uprising
Romanian freamăt, tumult
- freamătnoise as made by a crowd
- tumultnoise as made by a crowd
- tumultenoise as made by a crowd
Russian гвалт
- гвалт (gvalt)noise as made by a crowd
Slovak vrava, bitka
- vravanoise as made by a crowd
- bitkanoise as made by a crowd
Spanish clamor, bullicio
- clamornoise as made by a crowd
- bullicionoise as made by a crowd
- alborotonoise as made by a crowd
- tumultoriot or uprising
Swedish tumult
- tumultriot or uprising
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with tumult
Cite this entry
tumult. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tumult
“tumult.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tumult. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tumult,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tumult.
Source: tumult on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.