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. Patrick Kaser:

    We’ve had this weird pause over the last three weeks where analysts haven’t been updating earnings estimates because of the banking turmoil. Those are undoubtedly going to come, there’s currently a false sense of security that things won’t change, but a lot of the data under the surface is probably pointing towards higher odds of recession. This is not a favorable starting point for stocks as we think about the next few months.

  2. Ben Carson:

    There's no question that there would be a lot of turmoil if the establishment tries to thwart the will of the people.

  3. Todd Hoffman:

    People don’t know this, but gold is found in every single cell phone, there’s industrial uses for gold … [With] currencies going up and down, and you have a lot of turmoil in the world, it’s a very safe place, I believe. I’m not trying to give financial advice, but I think you need to have some of your money in gold. And I mean physical gold, not gold paper. You need to get it in your hands.

  4. Lee Zeldin:

    Despite some personal turmoil, I remain hopeful for the future for both my family and for our nation.

  5. Mohamed El-Erian:

    Recent financial market turmoil means that the Fed definitely will not move in January with another hike, but it does not, at least as yet, remove the likelihood of further hikes in the course of 2016.

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. 21 Jan. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/turmoil>.

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