1 ruction | Definition of ruction
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ruction

noun
ruc·​tion | \ ˈrək-shən How to pronounce ruction (audio) \

Definition of ruction

1 : a noisy fight
2 : disturbance, uproar
Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about ruction

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Did You Know?

English offers up a scramble of colorful words for what can happen when tempers spill over. For example, we have melee, fracas, donnybrook, ruckus, and one especially for baseball fans, rhubarb. Ruction is rarer than most of these. Etymologists speculate that ruction came to English in the early 19th century as a shortening and alteration of another word suggesting an episode of violence: insurrection. The earliest uses of ruction specifically make reference to the Irish Rebellion of 1798, an uprising against British rule on that island. Ruckus came later, toward the end of the 19th century, and was probably formed by combining ruction with rumpus.

Examples of ruction in a Sentence

the ruction ended with everyone involved getting arrested the ruction outside the door prompted me to investigate what was going on

Recent Examples on the Web

 With Hollywood in a continual state of technological, corporate and cultural ruction, will there still be enough room to bring the crazy? — Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, "In praise of the messy, misunderstood masterpiece (and in search of the next one)," 25 July 2019 The exact start date for the new technology board remains unknown, and could be affected by the ructions in China’s stock market amid the trade war with the U.S. — Bloomberg.com, "China's New Nasdaq Is Only Taking Profitable Firms for Now," 27 May 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ruction.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of ruction

circa 1825, in the meaning defined at sense 2

History and Etymology for ruction

perhaps by shortening & alteration from insurrection

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More from Merriam-Webster on ruction

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with ruction

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ruction

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