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Definition of "upheaval" []

  • The process of being heaved upward. (noun)
  • An instance of being so heaved. (noun)
  • A sudden, violent disruption or upset: "the psychic upheaval caused by war” ( Wallace Fowlie). (noun)
  • Geology A raising of a part of the earth's crust. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "upheaval" in a sentence
  • "This appears to happen in what we call the upheaval stage of family grief."
  • "This year's political upheaval is also reflected in the new tome, with Con-Dem, Con-Lib and Lib-Con all making the cut."
  • "Religious thought was in upheaval and radical thinkers like Rabelais were emerging to challenge the religious status quo."