What does turmoil mean?

Definitions for turmoil
ˈtɜr mɔɪltur·moil

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word turmoil.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. convulsion, turmoil, upheavalnoun

    a violent disturbance

    "the convulsions of the stock market"

  2. tumult, turmoilnoun

    violent agitation

  3. agitation, excitement, turmoil, upheaval, hullabaloonoun

    disturbance usually in protest

Wiktionary

  1. turmoilnoun

    A state of great disorder or uncertainty.

  2. Etymology: origin. Perhaps from.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Turmoilnoun

    Trouble; disturbance; harrassing uneasiness; tumultuous molestation. Little in use.

    Etymology: derived by Stephen Skinner from tremouille, French, a mil-hopper, more probably derived from moil, to labour.

    He seeks, with torment and turmoil,
    To force me live and will not let me die. Edmund Spenser.

    There I’ll rest, as after much turmoil
    A blessed soul doth in elysium. William Shakespeare.

    Blinded greatness ever in turmoil,
    Still seeking happy life, makes life a toil. Daniel.

    Happy when I, from this turmoil set free,
    That peaceful and divine assemby see. John Denham.

  2. To Turmoilverb

    Etymology: from the noun.

    That is not fault of will in those godly fathers, but the troublous occasions wherewith that wretched realm hath continually been turmoiled. Edmund Spenser.

    It is her fatal misfortune above all other countries, to be miserably tossed and turmoiled with these storms of affliction. Edmund Spenser.

    Haughty Juno, who with endless broil,
    Did earth, and heav’n and Jove himself turmoil,
    At length aton’d, her friendly pow’r shall join. Dryden.

    Having newly left those grammatic shallows, where they stuck unreasonably to learn a few words, on the sudden are transported to be tost and turmoil’d with their unballasted wits in fathomless and unquiet deeps of controversy. John Milton.

ChatGPT

  1. turmoil

    Turmoil is a state of great disturbance, confusion, uncertainty, or disorder. It can be applied to various situations such as social unrest, personal emotional conflict, or severe upheaval in any context.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Turmoilnoun

    harassing labor; trouble; molestation by tumult; disturbance; worrying confusion

  2. Turmoilverb

    to harass with commotion; to disquiet; to worry

  3. Turmoilverb

    to be disquieted or confused; to be in commotion

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Turmoil

    tur′moil, n. harassing labour: disturbance.—v.t. to harass with commotion: to weary.—v.i. to be disquieted or in commotion. [Perh. L. tremĕre, to shake.]

Suggested Resources

  1. turmoil

    Song lyrics by turmoil -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by turmoil on the Lyrics.com website.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of turmoil in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of turmoil in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of turmoil in a Sentence

  1. Aretha Franklin:

    What made her talent so great was her capacity to live what she sang, her music was deepened by her connection to the struggles and the triumphs of the African American experience growing up in her father's church, the community of Detroit, and her awareness of the turmoil of the South.

  2. Alvin Tan:

    The Chinese measures haven't really restored confidence. The market turmoil is not over. And under such risk averse condition, the yen and the euro will continue to be supported, in the short term, the dollar is likely to underperform the euro and the yen. We also expect the Fed to be very cautious about raising rates.

  3. Andy Sparks:

    I don’t think anyone should be complacent about this, turmoil in the banking system shows how things can change very quickly.

  4. Cynthia Mahmood:

    It is the worst thing possible to insult or disrespect, let alone damage or attempt to destroy Guru Granth Sahib, in India, even during times of high political turmoil, religious artifacts of various traditions have been generally protected.

  5. Jon Voight:

    My dear friends, we're all saddened by so much turmoil that has been brought upon this life we live, can this darkness be lifted ? Can we all share joy once again and see eye to eye ?

Popularity rank by frequency of use

turmoil#10000#23324#100000

Translations for turmoil

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • ا� طرابArabic
  • Aufruhr, Unruhe, Tumult, UnordnungGerman
  • turbulencia, dificultad, desordenSpanish
  • sekasorto, kaaos, myllerrysFinnish
  • chaos, désordreFrench
  • disordine, caos, scompiglioItalian
  • ქაოსიGeorgian
  • အရှုပ်အထွေးBurmese
  • zamieszaniePolish
  • суматоха, потрясение, смятение, хаос, беспорядок, смутаRussian
  • సంక్షోభంTelugu
  • خرابیUrdu

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"turmoil." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 18 Jan. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/turmoil>.

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