groundswell

American  

[ground-swel] / ˈgraʊndˌswɛl /

noun

1. a broad, deep swell or rolling of the sea, due to a distant storm or gale.

2. any surge of support, approval, or enthusiasm, especially among the general public.

   a groundswell of political support for the governor.

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groundswell British  

/ ˈɡraʊndˌswɛl /

noun

1. a considerable swell of the sea, often caused by a distant storm or earthquake or by the passage of waves into shallow water

2. a strong public feeling or opinion that is detectable even though not openly expressed

   a groundswell of discontent

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Etymology

Origin of groundswell

First recorded in 1810–20; ground ¹ + swell

Example Sentences

After Bangladesh and Nepal, there has been a groundswell of Gen Z protests globally, felling governments in Madagascar and Bulgaria and unnerving rulers from Morocco to Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

Moltbot, an open-source AI bot that runs on Anthropic’s Claude, generated a groundswell of excitement online over the weekend.

From Barron's • Jan. 27, 2026

But in recent months, a groundswell of momentum has been building at USC.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 30, 2025

Amid the groundswell of people calling to request visits or check on his well-being, local organizers are also planning actions on Soliman’s behalf for the week of Aug. 10.

From Salon • Aug. 6, 2025

White Southerners could ignore the groundswell of discontent, but, especially following World War II, blacks were simply not going to tolerate a life separate from and unequal to the American mainstream.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson