: a state of commotion, excitement, or violent disturbance
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 county closed the site, formerly known as Latta Plantation, to the public in 2021 after uproar over organizers promoting a racist Juneteenth event.
—
Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 21 Mar. 2025
Ullyot's removal came after an uproar Wednesday over the Pentagon's removal of an online article about the military background of Jackie Robinson, who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in 1947, after serving in the U.S. Army.
—arkansasonline.com, 21 Mar. 2025
The fact that there’s still such an uproar about that affirmation is itself a strong indicator of where America stands on cherishing Black lives.
—Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Mar. 2025
The uproar surrounding the election has not subsided since that time, despite Ganim later winning two court-ordered re-do elections in 2024.
—Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for uproar
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Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 21 Mar. 2025
Ullyot's removal came after an uproar Wednesday over the Pentagon's removal of an online article about the military background of Jackie Robinson, who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in 1947, after serving in the U.S. Army.
—arkansasonline.com, 21 Mar. 2025
The fact that there’s still such an uproar about that affirmation is itself a strong indicator of where America stands on cherishing Black lives.
—Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Mar. 2025
The uproar surrounding the election has not subsided since that time, despite Ganim later winning two court-ordered re-do elections in 2024.
—Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for uproar
Articles Related to uproar
Cite this Entry
“Uproar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uproar. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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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