|əp|hēvəl, (ˌ)əˈpē- sometimes _əpˈhē- noun
( -s )
1.
a. : the action of upheaving especially of part of the earth's crust (as by volcanic action)
b. : an instance of upheaving especially of the earth's crust
2.
a. : extreme agitation and disorder (as of society) : radical change : convulsion
unless immediate steps are taken … the seven-year-old federation will succumb to violent upheaval — Leonard Ingalls
b. : an instance of extreme disorderly agitation or radical change
the world's peoples are churning in one of history's greatest upheavals — A.E.Stevenson †1965
lived through an emotional upheaval as shattering as an earthquake — Elizabeth Goudge
Synonyms: see commotion