insurrection
n. C / Un. a violent action by a large group of people who try to take control of their government. It is usually an organized fight against those in power.
n. an organized, violent uprising or rebellion against an established government or civil authority.
The military quickly ended the insurrection in the capital.
Historians often debate whether the 19th-century event was a minor riot or a full-scale insurrection against colonial rule.
The government responded to the growing insurrection by declaring a state of emergency and suspending several civil liberties to restore order in the provinces.
From Late Middle English insurreccion (“uprising against a government, rebellion, revolt; civil disorder, riot; illegal armed assault”) [and other forms], from Middle French insurrection, Old French insurreccïon (modern French insurrection), and from their etymon Latin īnsurrēctiōnem (rare), the accusative singular of īnsurrēctiō (“rising up, insurrection, rebellion”), from īnsurgō (“to rise up”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside, within’) + surgō (“to arise, get up; to rise”) (from sub- (prefix meaning ‘(from) beneath, under’) + regō (“to direct, govern, rule; to guide, steer; to manage, oversee”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to right oneself, straighten; just; right”))).
Uncountable when referring to the general act of rebellion; countable when referring to a specific historical event.