violent or confused movement; agitation; tumult
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
tur•moil /ˈtɜrmɔɪl/USA pronunciation
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- a state of commotion, disorder, or disturbance: [countable; usually singular]Since she's been away the house has been in a turmoil.[uncountable]We've been in turmoil since the hostile takeover.
tur•moil
(tûr′moil),USA pronunciation n.
- a state of great commotion, confusion, or disturbance;
tumult;
agitation;
disquiet:mental turmoil caused by difficult decisions. - [Obs.]harassing labor.
- 1505–15; origin, originally as verb, verbal: to agitate; etymology, etymological uncertain; perh. tur(n) + moil
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged turbulence, disorder, uproar. See agitation.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged order, quiet.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'turmoil' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Babel
- Sturm und Drang
- ado
- agitation
- bedlam
- bouleversement
- brouhaha
- chaos
- clonus
- collected
- commotion
- confusion
- disrupt
- distraction
- dust
- fluster
- furor
- hubble-bubble
- melee
- moil
- pandemonium
- simmer
- smother
- swarm
- throe
- turbellarian
- turbid
- turbulent
- unhinge
- unrest
- upheaval
- uproar
- welter
- williwaw