1
as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity
in the tumult of the evacuation from the coast, we accidentally left on the television, which was of course tuned to the local newscast breathlessly reporting on the hurricane we were fleeing
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2
as in upheaval
a violent disturbance (as of the political or social order)
the political tumult that swept the American colonies in the late 1700s
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3
as in roar
a violent shouting
went to the window to see what the great tumult was and discovered a crowd of demonstrators marching down the street
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Examples of tumult in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There are many aspects to it — the tumult and desperation of escaping Europe, the almost primordial economic momentum of post-war America, and the brutality, grace, and solemnity of Brutalist architecture.
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Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2024
Imbrie waded directly into this tumult, defending two American Baha’i women, physician Susan Moody and nurse Elizabeth Stewart, after angry crowds gathered outside of their home.
—Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Sep. 2024
While the handful of recent protests near Columbia have been minor, signs of last spring’s tumult are apparent.
—Jake Offenhartz, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2024
In the past eight years, Democrats, like the rest of the country, have witnessed too much tumult—Trump, Charlottesville, COVID, George Floyd, January 6th, the end of Roe—to expect easy success.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tumult 
Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2024
Imbrie waded directly into this tumult, defending two American Baha’i women, physician Susan Moody and nurse Elizabeth Stewart, after angry crowds gathered outside of their home.
—Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Sep. 2024
While the handful of recent protests near Columbia have been minor, signs of last spring’s tumult are apparent.
—Jake Offenhartz, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2024
In the past eight years, Democrats, like the rest of the country, have witnessed too much tumult—Trump, Charlottesville, COVID, George Floyd, January 6th, the end of Roe—to expect easy success.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tumult
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tumult.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Tumult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tumult. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.
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