as in turmoil
a disturbed or uneasy state
the city was in ferment as its residents nervously awaited the outcome of the referendum vote
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to provoke
to bring (something volatile or intense) into being
the various social and economic factors that fermented the major cultural change during the U.S. during the 1960s
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ferment
Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 May 2025
The harvest and fermentation proceed as usual, and the wine ferments completely dry to an alcohol content of 11–12%.
—Per and Britt Karlsson, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
So a huge amount of the farm-fresh plants, fruits, and meats on the menu have been precisely pickled, fermented or aged.
—Christopher Cameron, Robb Report, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ferment
Noun
The sourdough is not active, and this recipe is made all in one day, which doesn't give the sourdough enough time to ferment.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 May 2025
The harvest and fermentation proceed as usual, and the wine ferments completely dry to an alcohol content of 11–12%.
—Per and Britt Karlsson, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
The master is given his or her own block to manage through the whole season, including tasting the fermenting grapes in the winery and the finished wine.
—Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
So a huge amount of the farm-fresh plants, fruits, and meats on the menu have been precisely pickled, fermented or aged.
—Christopher Cameron, Robb Report, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ferment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ferment
Noun
-
Market turmoil Stock futures are down Friday morning in the wake of escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.—
Sara Salinas,
CNBC,
13 June 2025
-
Related article The world’s second-largest gold storage suddenly has very long lines to withdraw bars As bonds have been volatile and the dollar has weakened amid tariff turmoil, weird investments like silver and platinum have emerged as a way to hedge against the tremendous uncertainty.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
12 June 2025
Verb
-
Couple that with an alarming increase in misogyny in both politics and the culture at large, and women in the public eye are at constant risk of accidentally provoking these types of hate campaigns.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
13 June 2025
-
The 1925 offside rule, therefore, initially created incredibly attack-minded football, and then provoked considerably more cautious football.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
12 June 2025
Noun
-
The grapes are hand-picked and undergo maceration on the skins for a few hours, then racked into terracotta jars towards the end of alcoholic fermentation, to permit proper temperature control.—
John Mariani,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
-
That’s just a side effect of all that good fermentation going on among your gut bugs.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
In November, voters in Hawley's home state of Missouri approved a ballot measure to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour, starting in 2026.—
/ CBS News,
CBS News,
10 June 2025
-
Other potential violations of the Byrd Rule could include the elimination of Medicaid funding for transgender care and a proposal to raise immigration fees.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
Noun
-
His electoral campaign had centered on the promise of putting an end to the unrest in Donbas, which had been rumbling on for years.—
Anna Batta,
The Conversation,
2 June 2025
-
Fuller had been watching the Continent’s social unrest for some time, and writing about it in the Tribune.—
James Marcus,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
Verb
-
Pollard was promoted to be executive vice president in 1980 and then president and chief operating officer in 1981 before he was named ServiceMaster’s CEO in 1983, succeeding Wessner.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
7 June 2025
-
In the spring of 2014, Swift was heavily promoting her album 1989, her first pure pop project.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ferment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ferment. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share