tumult

noun

tu·​mult ˈtü-ˌməlt 

ˈtyü-,

 also  ˈtə-

1

a

: disorderly agitation or milling about of a crowd usually with uproar and confusion of voices : commotion

b

: a turbulent uprising : riot

2

: hubbub, din

3

a

: violent agitation of mind or feelings

b

: a violent outburst

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
• turmoil
• uproar
• welter
• whirl
• williwaw
• zoo

Examples of tumult in a Sentence

We had to shout to be heard over the tumult.

The country was in tumult.

Her mind was in a tumult of emotions.

Recent Examples on the Web

Only Meta Platforms has weathered the recent tumult, helped by speculation its open-source version of AI will more readily lead to profit growth. —Bloomberg, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2025

The iPhone had turned my mind into a version of a notification screen, and this tumult swept me up, subordinating my moods and mind to its whims. —Charley Locke, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025

Three leaders in two weeks CFPB has been in tumult since last week, as staff have been told by Vought to stop all work and the bureau's headquarters has been shuttered for the week. —Laurel Wamsley, NPR, 12 Feb. 2025

Marques—even the most storied—come and go, and that turnover will likely hasten in the tumult and uncertainty of the transition to electric propulsion. —Ben Oliver, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tumulte, from Anglo-French, from Latin tumultus; perhaps akin to Sanskrit tumula noisy

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

tumult

noun

tu·​mult ˈt(y)ü-ˌməlt 

1

: uproar

a great tumult arose in the stands

2

: great confusion of mind