uproar

noun

up·​roar ˈəp-ˌrȯr 

: 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

His intervention to prevent an endorsement of Harris resulted in an uproar from the editorial board and many subscribers, 20,000 of whom canceled their subscriptions after the decision. —Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 27 Dec. 2024

But there would be uproar at such an increase, with supporters already angered over Ratcliffe’s decision to unilaterally hike seats not yet sold this season to a flat rate of £66, with no concessions for over-65s or under-16s. —Adam Crafton, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 2024

Despite the uproar spilling onto other social media platforms like X and attracting attention from mainstream figures like Lizzo, most Bluesky users appear to be sticking with the platform. —Kevin Collier, NBC News, 22 Dec. 2024

Microsoft then tried to deprecate the original Paint, creating an uproar among fans, prompting it to clarify that MS Paint would be removed as a standard feature of Windows 10 but remain in the Windows Store. —Chloe Albanesius, PCMAG, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

by folk etymology from Dutch oproer, from Middle Dutch, from op up (akin to Old English ūp) + roer motion; akin to Old English hrēran to stir

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined above

Kids 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.