uproar

noun

up·​roar ˈəp-ˌrȯr 

: a state of commotion, excitement, or violent disturbance

Synonyms

• commotion
• disturbance
• stir
• turmoil
• fuss
• hurry

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

Which of these would cause more uproar and fury? —Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025

Two dogs came into the living room to inspect the uproar, mutts from the reservation. —Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025

The uproar caused by the initial press conference that excluded female journalists was just one reminder of this. —Happymon Jacob, Time, 16 Oct. 2025

The comments caused an uproar in San Francisco, where Benioff, 61, held his firm’s Dreamforce event this week, which attracts tens of thousands of Salesforce employees and customers. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025

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

Rhymes for uproar

• abhor
• abor
• adore
• afore
• ardour
• ashore
• backdoor
• before
• bookstore
• candour
• centaur
• claymore

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.