surge
English · Español · Français · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
surge¹
- /sɝd͡ʒ/ US
- /sɜːd͡ʒ/ UK
Sounds like serge · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)dʒ
Where it comes from
The verb is from Middle English ^((please verify)) 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 and sourd.
The noun is from the verb.
noun surges
-
A sudden transient rush, flood or increase.
He felt a surge of excitement.
Similar: torrent
- The maximum amplitude of a vehicle's forward/backward oscillation.
- A sudden electrical spike or increase of voltage and current. A power surge at that generator created a blackout across the whole district.
- 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. He that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.
- A deployment in large numbers at short notice. surge capacity; surge fleet; surge deployment capabilities
- The tapered part of a windlass barrel or a capstan, upon which the cable surges, or slips.
Similar: inrush
verb surges · surging · surged
- To rush, flood, or increase suddenly. Toaster sales surged last year.
- To accelerate forwards, particularly suddenly. A ship surges forwards, sways sideways and heaves up.
- To experience a momentary reversal of airflow through the compressor section due to disruption of intake airflow. Use of maximum reverse thrust at low speeds can cause the engine to surge from ingesting its own exhaust.
- To slack off a line.
surge²
- /sɝd͡ʒ/ US
- /sɜːd͡ʒ/ UK
Sounds like serge · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)dʒ
Where it comes from
From Middle English sourge, of uncertain origin. In the earliest examples, translating Old French sourgeon (modern French surgeon), from sourge- (which the Middle English term is probably from), the present stem of sourdre, from Latin surgō (“to rise”).
noun surges
- A spring; a fountain. 1523-1525, John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners, Froissart's Chronicles all great rivers are gorged and assembled of various surges and springs of water
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: upsurge, heave, billow, zoom, soar, spate, scend, tide, rush, soar up, soar upwards, upswing, upwelling, climb, boost, rising
noun
Similar: inrush
Translations
Every language
noun sudden transient rush or flood
| Español | aluvión, oleada, surgimiento |
|---|---|
| Português | surto |
| Français | montée, poussée, vague, afflux |
| Deutsch | Aufwallung, Schwall, Welle, Woge |
| Italiano | marea, ondata |
| Русский | всплеск vsplesk, волна́ volná |
noun (electricity) electrical spike
| Español | sobretensión, sobrecarga, surgimiento |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | サージ sāji |
| Français | surintensité, surtension |
| Deutsch | Überspannung, Spannungsstoß |
| Italiano | sovraccarico |
| Русский | скачо́к напряже́ния skačók naprjažénija |
noun (aviation) a momentary reversal of the airflow
| Français | pompage |
|---|
noun (nautical) swell of the sea
| Español | oleada |
|---|---|
| Français | houle |
| Deutsch | Brandung |
| Русский | волна́ volná, прибо́й pribój |
| עברית | גַּל נֵד gál néd |
verb to rush, flood, or increase suddenly
| Español | dispararse, surgir |
|---|---|
| Français | déferler |
| Deutsch | steil ansteigen |
verb to accelerate forwards, particularly suddenly
| Русский | устреми́ться ustremítʹsja |
|---|
Talk about this word "surge." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/surge. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. surge. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/surge "surge." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/surge.Cite this
@misc{surge_2026,
title = {surge},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/surge},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
