: a rapid or sudden rise
an upsurge in interest
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An upsurge in drug use sometimes leads to an upsurge in crime. An upsurge of flu cases can be cause for alarm. And an upsurge of fury at overpaid CEOs might lead to new legislation to restrain high salaries. We seem to use upsurge more in negative contexts than in positive ones, but not always; we usually welcome an upsurge of consumer confidence, an upsurge in new-car sales, or an upsurge in the stock market.
Examples of upsurge in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The powder keg situation in the town is stoked primarily by the upsurge in Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by a white Minneapolis cop.
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David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
The brief upsurge for markets in response to potential tariff negotiations, however, indicated eagerness among investors for a thaw in global trade tensions, Feinseth added.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2025
Today, the country is experiencing a nationalistic upsurge that marks the India of Modi.
—Nirupama Rao, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2023
At least one of those upsurges apparently was the product of social media posts quoting White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett stating that Trump was considering a 90-day pause on tariffs scheduled to go into effect this week.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2025
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David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
The brief upsurge for markets in response to potential tariff negotiations, however, indicated eagerness among investors for a thaw in global trade tensions, Feinseth added.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2025
Today, the country is experiencing a nationalistic upsurge that marks the India of Modi.
—Nirupama Rao, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2023
At least one of those upsurges apparently was the product of social media posts quoting White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett stating that Trump was considering a 90-day pause on tariffs scheduled to go into effect this week.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upsurge
Cite this Entry
“Upsurge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upsurge. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
upsurge
noun
up·surge
ˈəp-ˌsərj 
: a rapid or sudden rise
an upsurge of popularity
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