: 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
Amid the uproar, Tesla cars and property have been targeted by protesters, causing the company's market share to decline.
—
Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 May 2025
Their disappearance caused an uproar in Tamaulipas, a state long eclipsed by cartel warfare.
—Arkansas Online, 31 May 2025
Amid the uproar, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Wednesday pointed to Stephen Miller’s defense while vowing to codify the DOGE cuts through the appropriations process or by approving administration requests to claw back funds.
—Aris Folley, The Hill, 29 May 2025
Nearly two weeks after the incident took place, the WNBA said Tuesday that the league could not substantiate the claims made against fans in attendance at the game despite the uproar the investigation caused on social media.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for uproar
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 May 2025
Their disappearance caused an uproar in Tamaulipas, a state long eclipsed by cartel warfare.
—Arkansas Online, 31 May 2025
Amid the uproar, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Wednesday pointed to Stephen Miller’s defense while vowing to codify the DOGE cuts through the appropriations process or by approving administration requests to claw back funds.
—Aris Folley, The Hill, 29 May 2025
Nearly two weeks after the incident took place, the WNBA said Tuesday that the league could not substantiate the claims made against fans in attendance at the game despite the uproar the investigation caused on social media.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for uproar
Cite this Entry
“Uproar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uproar. Accessed 5 Jun. 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.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share