Standard Lemma guide

tumult

noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtjuː.mʌlt/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtʃuː.mʌlt/
  • General-American: /ˈtuː.mʌlt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ʌlt
  • CMU ARPABET: T UW1 M AH0 L T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Confused, agitated noise as made by a crowd.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A violent commotion or agitation, often with a confusion of sounds.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • the tumult of the elements
  • the tumult of the spirits or passions

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A riot or uprising.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To make a tumult; to be in great commotion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

the act of making a noisy disturbance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: commotion, din, ruction, ruckus, rumpus

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disturbance

Narrower terms: bustle, hustle, flurry, ado, fuss, stir

6

noun

Meaning 6

violent agitation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: turmoil

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: agitation

7

noun

Meaning 7

a state of commotion and noise and confusion

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tumultuousness, uproar, garboil

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disturbance, disruption, commotion, flutter, hurly burly, to-do, hoo-ha, hoo-hah, kerfuffle

Narrower terms: combustion

History

Etymology

From Old French tumulte, from Latin tumultus (“noise, tumult”).

Across languages

Translations

79 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: глъчка (glǎčka) — noise as made by a crowd
  • Bulgarian: врява (vrjava) — noise as made by a crowd
  • Catalan: tumult — noise as made by a crowd
  • Chinese Mandarin: 喧哗 (xuanhua) — noise as made by a crowd
  • Czech: nepokoj — noise as made by a crowd
  • Danish: tumult — noise as made by a crowd
  • Danish: tummel — noise as made by a crowd
  • Dutch: tumult — noise as made by a crowd
  • Finnish: hälinä — noise as made by a crowd
  • Finnish: hulina — noise as made by a crowd
  • Finnish: mekkala — noise as made by a crowd
  • French: barouf — noise as made by a crowd
  • French: baroufe — noise as made by a crowd
  • German: Tumult — noise as made by a crowd
  • German: Krach — noise as made by a crowd
  • German: Lärm — noise as made by a crowd
  • German: lautes Stimmengewirr — noise as made by a crowd
  • Gothic: 𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌾𐍉𐌳𐌿𐍃 (auhjōdus) — noise as made by a crowd
  • Ancient Greek: θόρυβος (thórubos) — noise as made by a crowd
  • Hindi: ऊधम (ūdham) — noise as made by a crowd
  • Italian: tumulto — noise as made by a crowd
  • Latin: clāmor — noise as made by a crowd
  • Latin: tumultus — noise as made by a crowd
  • Macedonian: вре́ва (vréva) — noise as made by a crowd
  • Malayalam: ബഹളം (bahaḷaṁ) — noise as made by a crowd
  • Māori: rarī — noise as made by a crowd
  • Persian: هیاهو (hayâhu) — noise as made by a crowd
  • Persian: سروصدا (sar-o-sedâ) — noise as made by a crowd
  • Polish: tumult — noise as made by a crowd
  • Portuguese: tumulto — noise as made by a crowd
  • Portuguese: clamor — noise as made by a crowd
  • Romanian: freamăt — noise as made by a crowd
  • Romanian: tumult — noise as made by a crowd
  • Romanian: tumulte — noise as made by a crowd
  • Russian: гвалт (gvalt) — noise as made by a crowd
  • Sanskrit: तुमुल (tumula) — noise as made by a crowd
  • Slovak: vrava — noise as made by a crowd
  • Slovak: bitka — noise as made by a crowd
  • Spanish: clamor — noise as made by a crowd
  • Spanish: bullicio — noise as made by a crowd
  • Spanish: alboroto — noise as made by a crowd
  • Ottoman Turkish: گورلدی (gürüldü) — noise as made by a crowd
  • Bulgarian: безредици (bezredici) — violent commotion or agitation
  • Finnish: kuohunta — violent commotion or agitation
  • Finnish: mellastus — violent commotion or agitation
  • German: Tumult — violent commotion or agitation
  • German: chaotisches Durcheinander — violent commotion or agitation
  • Gothic: 𐌿𐌽𐍃𐌿𐍄𐌹 (unsuti) — violent commotion or agitation
  • Ancient Greek: τύρβη (túrbē) — violent commotion or agitation
  • Higaonon: gobot — violent commotion or agitation
  • Hindi: उत्पात (utpāt) — violent commotion or agitation
  • Macedonian: разми́рици (razmírici) — violent commotion or agitation
  • Macedonian: не́ред (néred) — violent commotion or agitation
  • Macedonian: бунт (bunt) — violent commotion or agitation
  • Polish: zamieszki — violent commotion or agitation
  • Bulgarian: метеж (metež) — riot or uprising
  • Catalan: tumult — riot or uprising
  • Danish: oprør — riot or uprising
  • Dutch: tumult — riot or uprising
  • Dutch: oproer — riot or uprising
  • Esperanto: tumulto — riot or uprising
  • Finnish: mellakka — riot or uprising
  • Finnish: meteli — riot or uprising
  • French: bagarre — riot or uprising
  • Galician: tumulto — riot or uprising
  • German: Tumult — riot or uprising
  • German: Aufstand — riot or uprising
  • Gothic: 𐌳𐍂𐍉𐌱𐌽𐌰 (drōbna) — riot or uprising
  • Ancient Greek: ταραχή (tarakhḗ) — riot or uprising
  • Hindi: दंगा (daṅgā) — riot or uprising
  • Hindi: फसाद (phasād) — riot or uprising
  • Hindi: उत्पात (utpāt) — riot or uprising
  • Italian: tumulto — riot or uprising
  • Macedonian: бунт (bunt) — riot or uprising
  • Macedonian: ме́теж (métež) — riot or uprising
  • Plautdietsch: Jeläw — riot or uprising
  • Portuguese: tumulto — riot or uprising
  • Spanish: tumulto — riot or uprising
  • Swedish: tumult — riot or uprising