turmoil
Americannoun
-
a state of great commotion, confusion, or disturbance; tumult; agitation; disquiet.
mental turmoil caused by difficult decisions.
- Synonyms:
- uproar, disorder, turbulence
-
Obsolete. hard labor; toil.
noun
verb
Related Words
See agitation.
Etymology
Origin of turmoil
First recorded in 1520–30; originally as verb: “to agitate”; etymology uncertain; perhaps tur(n) + moil
Explanation
Mashed potatoes flew in one direction, peas in another. Kids were standing on chairs. The principal was shouting, but no one listened. "Food fight!" the seniors cried. The cafeteria was in a state of turmoil. Turmoil rhymes with boil — think of the way that boiling water moves, and you'll understand what turmoil looks like. It refers to confusion, chaos, violent disturbance. The economy can be in turmoil — the markets behaving erratically, people losing their jobs, and no one understanding why.
Vocabulary lists containing turmoil
List 1
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This Week in Words: October 13 – 20, 2018
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Franklin Roosevelt, "Four Freedoms" (1941)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The market’s current leap to new records reflects the same impulse to buy the dip that propelled stocks during the Covid-19 pandemic and last year’s tariff turmoil.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
The world beyond this claustrophobic den of tension and turmoil becomes irrelevant.
From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026
The strain of uncertainty sits at an intersection of turmoil in the United States, all overlapping, all exhausting.
From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026
In the recent interview with Barron’s, Gensler discussed his views on the current SEC, turmoil in the private credit market, prediction markets, and more.
From Barron's • Apr. 18, 2026
Through the turmoil inside me, I realized it was important for the other man to believe him.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
