Definition of SURGE

surge

Plural: surges

Noun

  • a sudden forceful flow
  • a sudden or abrupt strong increase
    • "stimulated a surge of speculation"
    • "an upsurge of emotion"
    • "an upsurge in violent crime"
  • a large sea wave
  • A sudden transient rush, flood or increase.
  • The maximum amplitude of a vehicle's forward/backward oscillation.
  • A sudden electrical spike or increase of voltage and current.
  • A momentary reversal of the airflow through the compressor section of a jet engine due to disruption of the airflow entering the engine's air intake, accompanied by loud banging noises, emission of flame, and temporary loss of thrust.
  • The swell or heave of the sea (FM 55-501).
  • A deployment in large numbers at short notice.
  • A spring; a fountain.
  • The tapered part of a windlass barrel or a capstan, upon which the cable surges, or slips.

Verb

Verb Forms: surged, surging, surges

  • To move in a swelling, powerful, or onward rush.
  • rise and move, as in waves or billows
    • "The army surged forward"
  • rise rapidly
  • rise or move forward
  • rise or heave upward under the influence of a natural force such as a wave
    • "the boats surged"
  • see one's performance improve
    • "He levelled the score and then surged ahead"
  • To rush, flood, or increase suddenly.
  • To accelerate forwards, particularly suddenly.
  • To experience a momentary reversal of airflow through the compressor section due to disruption of intake airflow.
  • To slack off a line.

Examples

  • A power surge at that generator created a blackout across the whole district.
  • A ship surges forwards, sways sideways and heaves up.
  • He felt a surge of excitement.
  • His score began to surge after placing ’SURGE’ for a triple-word bonus.
  • Toaster sales surged last year.
  • Use of maximum reverse thrust at low speeds can cause the engine to surge from ingesting its own exhaust.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English surgen, possibly from Middle French sourgir, from Old French surgir (“to rise, ride near the shore, arrive, land”), from Old Catalan surgir, from Latin surgō, contraction of surrigō, subrigō (“lift up, raise, erect; intransitive rise, arise, get up, spring up, grow, etc.”, transitive verb), from sub (“from below; up”) + regō (“to stretch”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti (“to straighten; right”), from the root *h₃reǵ-; see regent. Doublet of source. Doublet of sourd.

Synonyms

billow, heave, rush, scend, soar, soar up, soar upwards, spate, tide, upsurge, zoom, inrush, torrent

Antonyms

ebb

Scrabble Score: 6

surge: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
surge: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
surge: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 8

surge: valid Words With Friends Word