: a rapid or sudden rise
an upsurge in interest
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An upsurge in drug use sometimes leads to an upsurge in crime. An upsurge of flu cases can be cause for alarm. And an upsurge of fury at overpaid CEOs might lead to new legislation to restrain high salaries. We seem to use upsurge more in negative contexts than in positive ones, but not always; we usually welcome an upsurge of consumer confidence, an upsurge in new-car sales, or an upsurge in the stock market.
Examples of upsurge in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In recent years, the world has witnessed a dramatic upsurge in state violence.
—
Tom Ridge, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 July 2025
Many trade experts are skeptical that higher U.S. tariffs are likely to spur an upsurge in domestic manufacturing.
—Alain Sherter, CBS News, 23 May 2025
Scientists first proposed in the 1970s that a hot upsurge of material from Earth’s mantle, known as a plume, was occurring below this spot.
—Nora Bradford, Scientific American, 7 July 2025
Making the sextortion problem even worse is an upsurge in sextortion assistance companies which charge thousands of dollars for their help in stopping and removing the photos and videos from appearing online.
—Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for upsurge
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Tom Ridge, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 July 2025
Many trade experts are skeptical that higher U.S. tariffs are likely to spur an upsurge in domestic manufacturing.
—Alain Sherter, CBS News, 23 May 2025
Scientists first proposed in the 1970s that a hot upsurge of material from Earth’s mantle, known as a plume, was occurring below this spot.
—Nora Bradford, Scientific American, 7 July 2025
Making the sextortion problem even worse is an upsurge in sextortion assistance companies which charge thousands of dollars for their help in stopping and removing the photos and videos from appearing online.
—Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for upsurge
Cite this Entry
“Upsurge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upsurge. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
upsurge
noun
up·surge
ˈəp-ˌsərj 
: a rapid or sudden rise
an upsurge of popularity
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