surge

SaySURJ/sɝd͡ʒ/UK/sɜːd͡ʒ/

Pluralsurges

Verbsurges, surging, surged

12 meanings of surge

Practice

1
nouncountable
A sudden, strong increase or rush of something.
Like a big wave that suddenly rises up and then falls back down.
There was a sudden surge in ticket sales after the ad aired.
A surge of excitement ran through the crowd.
Similartorrent
Oppositedrop, decline, slump
2
verbintransitive
To rise, flow, or grow stronger all at once.
Like a crowd suddenly pushing forward all at once.
Crowds surge toward the stage when the band appears.
Prices surged sharply after the announcement.
Similarrush, pour, soar, rocket, swell
Oppositedrop, fall, plummet
3
verbintransitive
To move forward faster all of a sudden.
Like a horse leaping forward the moment it's set free.
The car surged ahead when the light turned green.
Runners surge forward at the starting gun.
Similarshoot, lunge, leap, spring, accelerate
Oppositedecelerate, slow
Note
4
nouncountable
A sudden jump in the electricity flowing through wires.
Like a sudden flood of water that's too much for a pipe to handle.
A power surge fried the computer's motherboard.
Use a surge protector to keep your devices safe.
Similarspike
Oppositesag, dip
Note
5
nounUScountablebefore a noun
A fast move of many soldiers or workers into an area when they are needed quickly.
Like calling in many extra helpers all at once when there's an emergency.
The general ordered a surge of troops to the border.
A surge of extra nurses was sent to the busy hospital.
Similarinflux, buildup
Oppositedrawdown, withdrawal
Note
6
nouncountable
The rising and falling movement of the sea.
Like being on a raft that goes up and down with the waves.
The small boat rocked with each surge of the sea.
Sailors felt the surge lift the deck beneath them.
Similarswell, heave, roll
Note
7
nouncountable
The greatest distance a vehicle rocks forward and backward.
Like how far you rock forward and back in a car that stops fast.
Engineers measured the surge of the test car on the track.
A large surge means the vehicle lurches a lot from front to back.
8
nouncountable
A sudden backward burst of air in a jet engine that causes loud bangs and flames.
Like a cough from the engine, where air suddenly blows back the wrong way.
The pilot heard a loud bang when the engine had a surge.
A surge can make flames shoot from the engine.
Note
9
verbintransitive
To suddenly push air the wrong way through a jet engine, causing loud bangs.
Like a person choking when air goes down the wrong way.
The engine surged and flames shot out of the intake.
Older engines may surge if the airflow gets blocked.
Note
10
nouncountable
The narrow, tapered part of a ship's winch where the rope can slip.
Like the narrow middle of a spool where thread can slide off.
The rope slid along the surge of the capstan.
Sailors kept the cable on the surge to let it slip slowly.
Note
11
verbtransitive
To let out or loosen a rope on a ship.
Like slowly letting out a rope so it doesn't pull too hard.
The sailor surged the rope to lower the load.
Surge the line slowly so it doesn't jam.
Similarslacken, ease
Oppositetighten
Note

Less common meaning

12
nounobsolete
A natural source of water that rises up from the ground.
Like a small pool where fresh water pushes up out of the earth.
They drank from a clear surge at the foot of the hill.
A cool surge bubbled up between the mossy rocks.
Note

Practice

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Origin

It comes from Latin 'surgo' meaning 'to rise', and reached English through French words for rising and arriving at shore.