English Reference
noun · verb

revolt

n. · v.
US /ɹiˈvoʊɫt/ UK /ɹɪvˈəʊlt/ re·volt UK spelling revolted, revolts

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    n.a protest or fight by a large group of people against their government or leaders.

    n.an organized attempt by a large group of people to change their government or leader through protest or violence.

    Simple

    The high taxes led to a popular revolt against the king.

    In context

    The military revolt was suppressed within forty-eight hours, though the underlying political grievances remained unaddressed by the ruling council.

  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate

    v.to fight against authority or refuse to obey a government.

    v.to take part in a rebellion or to refuse to acknowledge the authority of a governing body.

    Simple

    The citizens decided to revolt when the government took away their rights.

    In context

    The provincial governors threatened to revolt if the central administration continued to ignore their requests for emergency funding.

  3. 03 C1 Advanced Formal

    v.to make someone feel sick or very shocked.

    v.to cause a feeling of intense disgust or revulsion in someone.

    Simple

    The violent scenes in the movie revolted many people in the audience.

    In context

    The conditions in the overcrowded refugee camp revolted the visiting journalists, who immediately published a scathing report on the lack of sanitation.

    disgustrepelsicken
  4. 04 C1 Advanced Literary

    v.to feel sick or shocked because of something bad.

    v.to experience a strong feeling of physical or moral revulsion; frequently used with the preposition 'at'.

    Simple

    Her mind revolted at the idea of lying to her best friend.

    In context

    The diplomat's conscience revolted at the prospect of signing a treaty that he knew would lead to further regional instability.

On school sports day, he says, he persuaded his classmates to revolt and all run at the same speed.

The Guardian· 19 Aug 2026

Borrowed from French révolter, from Italian rivoltare, itself either from ri- with the verb voltare, or possibly from a Vulgar Latin revoltāre < revolvitāre, for *revolūtāre, frequentative of Latin revolvō (“roll back”) (through its past participle revolūtus). Compare typologically Russian переворо́т (perevorót) (akin to верте́ть (vertétʹ).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin revolvō
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated