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Definition of upheaval - 3 dictionary results

up⋅heav⋅al

  [uhp-hee-vuhl]
Use upheaval in a Sentence
–noun
1. strong or violent change or disturbance, as in a society: the upheaval of war.
2. an act of upheaving, esp. of a part of the earth's crust.
3. the state of being upheaved.
4. Geology. an upward warping of a part of the earth's crust, forcing certain areas into a relatively higher position than before.
Origin:
1830–40; upheave + -al 2

Synonyms:
1. disruption, disorder, turmoil.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To upheaval
up·heav·al   (ŭp-hē'vəl)   
n.  

    1. The process of being heaved upward.

    2. An instance of being so heaved.

  2. A sudden, violent disruption or upset: "the psychic upheaval caused by war" (Wallace Fowlie).

  3. Geology A raising of a part of the earth's crust.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

upheaval 
1838, in geology, from M.E. verb upheave (c.1300), from up + heave (v.). Cf. O.Fris. upheva, O.H.G. ufhevan, Ger. aufheben. Fig. sense, with ref. to convulsions of society, etc., recorded from 1850.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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