noun
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a revolt or rebellion
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archaic an ascent
Etymology
Origin of uprising
Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at up-, rising
Explanation
An organized rebellion, especially against an authority or government — is an uprising. If your entire math class joined together in rebellion against your teacher's unfair grading practices, you could call it an uprising. The word uprising is most often used to describe a political revolt, often a violent insurrection against the established rule, but its original meaning was very different. In the thirteenth century, an uprising was a resurrection, or "the action of rising from the grave," and soon after that it meant "an action of rising from the bed." It wasn't until the late 1500's that it came to mean "revolt."
Vocabulary lists containing uprising
Born a Crime
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Stamped
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Catching Fire
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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.
They were gathered in the city's Heroes' Square for the reburial of the man behind Hungary's failed uprising in 1956, Imre Nagy.
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026
The Yellow Vests were an autonomous uprising, not supported by any unions or political parties.
From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026
The Tiananmen uprising itself was of the rising-expectations sort.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
According to a leaked copy of the report seen by AFP, the commission investigating the events recommended the prosecution of ex-prime minister KP Sharma Oli, who was toppled in the uprising.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
The failed uprising plunged the whole country into despair again.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
