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Revolution and Revolt
Revolution and revolt have a shared origin, both ultimately going back to the Latin revolvere “to revolve, roll back.” When revolution first appeared in English in the 14th century, it referred to the movement of a celestial body in orbit; that sense was extended to “a progressive motion of a body around an axis,” “completion of a course,” and other senses suggesting regularity of motion or a predictable return to an original position. At virtually the same time, the word developed a sharply different meaning, namely, ”a sudden radical, or complete change,” apparently from the idea of reversal of direction implicit in the Latin verb. Revolt , which initially meant “to renounce allegiance,” grew from the same idea of “rolling back,” in this case from a prior bond of loyalty.
Examples of revolt in a Sentence
Rob Wile, NBC News, 25 Feb. 2025
Johnson’s selection of Roy to lead the panel could also result in a number of moderate Republicans revolting against Johnson, doing little to solve his math problem to be elected Speaker.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 3 Jan. 2025
Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2025
The longtime leader of the latter group, George Gresham, is said to personally support endorsing Mr. Cuomo but is facing a broader revolt within his union.
—Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for revolt
Cite this Entry
“Revolt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revolt. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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revolt
1 of 2 verb
revolt
2 of 2 noun
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