From Middle English surgen, possibly from Middle French sourgir, from Old French surgir, from roa-oca surgir, from Latin surgō, contraction of surrigō, subrigō, from sub ("from below; up") + regō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti, from the root *h₃reǵ-; see regent.

• (America) enPR: sûrj IPA: /sɝd͡ʒ/
• (British) IPA: /sɜːd͡ʒ/

surge (plural surges)

1. A sudden transient rush, flood or increase.

   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. (aviation) A momentary reversal of the airflow through the compressor section of a jet engine due to disruption of the airflow entering the engine's air intake, accompanied by loud banging noises, emission of flame, and temporary loss of thrust.
5. (nautical) The swell or heave of the sea (FM 55-501).
   • 1901, Bible (American Standard Version), James i. 6

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

   • 1697, Virgil, “Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC ↗:

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

6. (US, naval, often, attributive) A deployment in large numbers at short notice.

   surge capacity; surge fleet; surge deployment capabilities

7. (obsolete) A spring; a fountain.
   • 1523-1525, John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners, Froissart's Chronicles

     all great rivers are gorged and assembled of various surges and springs of water

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

• inrush

• French: montée, poussée, vague, afflux
• German: Aufwallung, Schwall, Welle, Woge
• Portuguese: surto
• Russian: всплеск
• Spanish: aluvión, oleada

• French: montée
• German: Überspannung, Spannungsstoß
• Russian: скачок напряжения
• Spanish: sobretensión, sobrecarga

• French: houle
• German: Brandung
• Russian: волна́
• Spanish: oleada

• French: pompage

surge (surges, present participle surging; simple past and past participle surged)

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

   Toaster sales surged last year.

   • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter II, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC ↗:

     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.

2. To accelerate forwards, particularly suddenly.

   A ship surges forwards, sways sideways and heaves up.

3. (intransitive, aviation, of, a jet engine) To experience a momentary reversal of airflow through the compressor section due to disruption of intake airflow.

   Use of maximum reverse thrust at low speeds can cause the engine to surge from ingesting its own exhaust.

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

• source
• surgation

• French: déferler
• German: steil ansteigen
• Spanish: dispararse