English

Noun

surge ‎(plural surges)

1. A sudden transient rush, flood or increase.
   • 2012 November 7, Matt Bai, “Winning a Second Term, Obama Will Confront Familiar Headwinds”, in New York Times:

     As President Obama turns his attention once again to filling out a cabinet and writing an Inaugural Address, this much is clear: he should not expect to bask in a surge of national unity, or to witness a crowd of millions overrun the Mall just to say they were there.

   He felt a surge of excitement.

2. The maximum amplitude of a vehicle's forward/backward oscillation
3. (electricity) A sudden electrical spike or increase of voltage and current.

   A power surge at that generator created a blackout across the whole district.

4. (nautical) The swell or heave of the sea. (FM 55-501).
   • Bible, James i. 6

     He that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.

   • Dryden

     He flies aloft, and, with impetuous roar, / Pursues the foaming surges to the shore.

5. (obsolete) A spring; a fountain.
   • Ld. Berners

     divers surges and springs of water

6. The tapered part of a windlass barrel or a capstan, upon which the cable surges, or slips.

Synonyms

• inrush

Derived terms

• countersurge
• surgeless

Translations

Verb

surge ‎(third-person singular simple present surges, present participle surging, simple past and past participle surged)

1. (intransitive) To rush, flood, or increase suddenly.

   Toaster sales surged last year.‎

   • 1915, Emerson Hough, The Purchase Price, chapterII:

     Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers, of errand not wholly obvious to their fellows, yet of such sort as to call into query alike the nature of their errand and their own relations.

   • 2013 March 1, David S. Senchina, “Athletics and Herbal Supplements”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 2, page 134:

     Athletes' use of herbal supplements has skyrocketed in the past two decades. At the top of the list of popular herbs are echinacea and ginseng, whereas garlic, St. John's wort, soybean, ephedra and others are also surging in popularity or have been historically prevalent.

2. To accelerate forwards, particularly suddenly.

   A ship surges forwards, sways sideways and heaves up.‎

   • 2011 September 2, “Wales 2-1 Montenegro”, in BBC:

     Wales began the second half as they ended the first, closing down Montenegro quickly and the pressure told as Bale surged into the box and pulled the ball back for skipper Ramsey, arriving on cue, to double their lead.

3. (transitive, nautical) To slack off a line.

Related terms

• source

Translations

References

• surge in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• surge in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• FM 55-501

Anagrams

• grues
• urges

Latin

Verb

surge

1. second-person singular present active imperative of surgō
   • Surge et ambula (Matt. IX. v.5)

Portuguese

Verb

surge

1. third-person singular present indicative of surgir
2. second-person singular imperative of surgir

Spanish

Verb

surge

1. Informal second-person singular (tú) affirmative imperative form of surgir.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present indicative form of surgir.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present indicative form of surgir.