uproar

U1P3R1O1A1R1
UK/ˈʌpɹɔː/US/ˈʌpɹɔːɹ/

noun

Tumultuous, noisy excitement.

Less commonFirst used 1520sScrabble 8

Meanings

nounuproar (countable and uncountable, plural uproars)

plural uproars

  1. countableuncountableTumultuous, noisy excitement.First known use 1520s
  2. countableuncountableLoud, confused noise, especially when coming from several sources.
  3. countableuncountableA loud protest, controversy, or outrage.

    This highly-aggressive approach had results, but briefly caused a major uproar in parts of the United States, which was mitigated by the Webster–Ashburton Treaty in 1842, which formalised the U.S. Navy's contribution to the antislavery efforts.

    2018 December 1, Drachinifel, 8:56 from the start, in Anti-Slavery Patrols - The West Africa Squadron, archived from the original on 29 Nov 2024
verbuproar (third-person singular simple present uproars, present participle uproaring, simple past and past participle uproared)

present singular third person uproars · participle present uproaring · participle past uproared · past uproared

  1. transitiveTo throw into uproar or confusion.

    […] had I power, I should Pour the sweet milk of concord into hell, Uproar the universal peace, confound All unity on earth.

    c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]
  2. intransitiveTo make an uproar.

    When red-mouth’d cannons to the clouds uproar, And gasping hosts sleep shrouded in their gore,

    1828, Robert Montgomery, The Omnipresence of the Deity, London: Samuel Maunder, Part II, page 56
    3 more examples

    […] through their Tumultuous Uproaring have they caused the peaceable and harmless to suffer […]

    1661, William Caton, The Abridgment of Eusebius Pamphilius’s Ecclesiastical History, London: Francis Holden, published 1698, Part II, page 110, note

    […] the landlady entering at this very time with news that his wife had been delivered of a dead child, he yielded to the most furious ebullitions; while, in accordance with him, all howled and shrieked, and bellowed and uproared, with double vigor.

    1824, “Chapter 8”, in Thomas Carlyle, transl., Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship and Travels, book 4, New York: A.L. Burt, translation of original by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, published 1839, pages 210–211

    Officers, as well as men, now mingle in the uproaring strife, and snatching the weapons of the slain, swell the horrid carnage.

    1829, Mason Locke Weems, “Chapter 12”, in The Life of General Francis Marion, Philadelphia: Joseph Allen, page 106

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna state of commotion and noise and confusion

nounloud confused noise from many sources

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. GermanAufruhr
  2. Dutchoproer
  3. Englishuproar

Calque of Dutch oproer or German Aufruhr, as up + roar.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek θόρυβος, κολοσυρτός
  • θόρυβος (thórubos)noisy excitement
  • κολοσυρτός (kolosurtós)noisy excitement
  • θόρυβος (thórubos)confused noise
Bengali তুলকালাম, চিল্লানি
  • তুলকালাম (tulkalam)noisy excitement
  • চিল্লানি (cillani)noisy excitement
  • তুলকালাম (tulkalam)confused noise
  • চিল্লানি (cillani)confused noise
  • চিল্লানি (cillani)to make an uproar
Bulgarian шум, врява
  • шум (šum)noisy excitement
  • врява (vrjava)noisy excitement
  • бъркотия (bărkotija)confused noise
  • вдигам шум (vdigam šum)to make an uproar
Catalan brogit, avalot
  • brogitnoisy excitement
  • avalotnoisy excitement
  • gatzaranoisy excitement
  • cridòrianoisy excitement
  • aldarullnoisy excitement
  • rebomborinoisy excitement
  • brogitconfused noise
  • aldarullconfused noise
  • rebomboriconfused noise
Chinese Mandarin 騷動 /骚动, 塵囂 /尘嚣
  • 騷動 /骚动 (sāodòng)noisy excitement
  • 塵囂 /尘嚣 (chénxiāo)confused noise
  • 嘈雜 /嘈杂 (cáozá)confused noise
  • 喧嘩 (xuānhuá)confused noise
Czech vřava, pozdvižení
  • vřavanoisy excitement
  • pozdviženínoisy excitement
  • rozruchnoisy excitement
  • pobouřenínoisy excitement
  • povykconfused noise
Dutch oproer
  • oproernoisy excitement
Finnish meteli, melske
  • metelinoisy excitement
  • melskenoisy excitement
  • hälinänoisy excitement
  • hälinäconfused noise
  • hämminkiconfused noise
French clameur, clameur
  • clameurnoisy excitement
  • clameurconfused noise
German Aufruhr
  • Aufruhrnoisy excitement
Hindi ऊधम, ख़ुराफ़ात
  • ऊधम (ūdham)noisy excitement
  • ख़ुराफ़ात (xurāfāt)noisy excitement
  • बवाल (bavāl)noisy excitement
  • हल्ला (hallā)noisy excitement
  • कोलाहल (kolāhal)noisy excitement
  • हुड़दंग (huṛdaṅg)noisy excitement
  • ऊधम (ūdham)confused noise
  • ख़ुराफ़ात (xurāfāt)confused noise
  • बवाल (bavāl)confused noise
  • हल्ला (hallā)confused noise
  • कोलाहल (kolāhal)confused noise
Italian baraonda, clamore
  • baraondanoisy excitement
  • clamorenoisy excitement
  • fragorenoisy excitement
  • baccanonoisy excitement
  • bolgianoisy excitement
  • sobbuglionoisy excitement
  • bailammeconfused noise
Japanese 騒動, 騒音
  • 騒動 (sōdō)noisy excitement
  • 騒音 (sōon)confused noise
Latin clāmor, turba
  • clāmornoisy excitement
  • turbanoisy excitement
  • tumultusnoisy excitement
Māori rarī, tūkōripi
  • rarīnoisy excitement
  • tūkōripinoisy excitement
  • rarīconfused noise
  • tararauconfused noise
  • huhūconfused noise
  • tararauto make an uproar
Portuguese rebuliço
  • rebuliçonoisy excitement
Romanian freamăt, agitație
  • freamătnoisy excitement
  • agitațienoisy excitement
  • tumultnoisy excitement
  • larmăconfused noise
  • clamoareconfused noise
  • gălăgieconfused noise
  • zgomotconfused noise
Russian волне́ние, сумато́ха
  • волне́ние (volnénije)noisy excitement
  • сумато́ха (sumatóxa)noisy excitement
  • сумя́тица (sumjática)noisy excitement
  • шум (šum)confused noise
  • гам (gam)confused noise
  • го́мон (gómon)confused noise
  • галдёж (galdjóž)confused noise
Scottish Gaelic ùpraid
  • ùpraidnoisy excitement
Spanish bullicio, fragor
  • bullicionoisy excitement
  • fragornoisy excitement
  • escandaleranoisy excitement
  • alborotonoisy excitement
  • griteríonoisy excitement
  • estruendonoisy excitement
  • bochinchenoisy excitement
  • estrépitonoisy excitement
  • algarabíanoisy excitement
  • algaradanoisy excitement
  • guirigaynoisy excitement
  • tiberionoisy excitement
Tamil கலகம், கலகம்
  • கலகம் (kalakam)noisy excitement
  • கலகம் (kalakam)confused noise
Urdu ادھم, ادھم
  • ادھم (udḥam)noisy excitement
  • ادھم (udḥam)confused noise
Cite this entry
APA

uproar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/uproar

MLA

“uproar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/uproar. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “uproar,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/uproar.

Source: uproar on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.