rising

rising — noun

1. an act of ordinary people fighting or protesting against their country's governm

1.nounB2
Definition

an act of ordinary people fighting or protesting against their country's government or rulers, often using force.

Example

The rising against the dictator began when food prices doubled overnight.

collocation: a rising against [someone]

Anong's grandfather was arrested for joining the student rising in Bangkok.

Common collocations
  • crush a rising
  • put down a rising
  • lead a rising
  • a peasant rising
  • a popular rising
  • a failed rising
  • a student rising
  • join a rising
Synonyms
  • uprising

    nearly identical meaning, though 'uprising' is more common in modern news reporting

  • revolt

    emphasizes active refusal to obey orders; often more spontaneous than a rising

  • rebellion

    suggests a larger, longer-organized movement with a clear goal to remove rulers

  • insurrection

    more formal and legal term, used especially in political and historical analysis

Antonyms
  • suppression

    the forcible ending of a rising by those in power

  • submission

    acceptance of authority rather than fighting against it

Usage Note

Often used with verbs like 'crush', 'put down', 'start', 'lead'. Frequently modified by an adjective or noun specifying the group involved — for example, 'a student rising', 'a peasant rising', 'a popular rising'.

Common Mistakes

The rising of the sun was beautiful.
The sunrise was beautiful.
As a noun, 'rising' refers to a rebellion against authority, not the act of moving upward.

rising — preposition

rising — adverb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe collective action against authority, but they differ in scope and formality. 'Uprising' is the closest synonym to 'rising' and is more common in modern journalism — it suggests a broad, often spontaneous protest that may or may not succeed. 'Revolt' emphasizes open refusal to obey, often with an emotional charge of anger; it can apply to prisoners, soldiers, or enslaved people. 'Rebellion' implies a longer, more organized effort with defined goals, such as removing a leader or changing a system. 'Insurrection' is the most formal and legal term, used especially in historical or judicial writing about attempts to overthrow a government. For example, journalists described the 2021 protests in Myanmar as an 'uprising,' historians call the 1857 Indian conflict a 'rebellion,' and courts charge defendants with 'insurrection' under the law. A 'rising' sits closest to 'uprising' but carries a slightly older, more literary tone.

uprisingrevoltrebellion ↗insurrection

Common collocations

Phrases

  • a rising star
  • be rising [age]

Prepositions

  • rising against

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The noun 'rising' (meaning an uprising) developed in the 1400s from the Old English verb 'rīsan', meaning 'to get up, stand up, or rebel'. The idea of physically rising up was extended to describe people rising together to fight their rulers. The preposition and adverb uses ('a rising star', 'rising forty') came later from the present participle of the same verb, used to describe something or someone on the way up.