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Surge vs Heighten - What's the difference?

surge | heighten |

As verbs the difference between surge and heighten

is that surge is to rush, flood, or increase suddenly while heighten is to make high; to raise higher; to elevate.

As a noun surge

is a sudden transient rush, flood or increase.

surge

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A sudden transient rush, flood or increase.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2012, date=November 7, author=Matt Bai, title=Winning a Second Term, Obama Will Confront Familiar Headwinds, work=New York Times citation
    • , passage=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.}}
  • The maximum amplitude of a vehicle's forward/backward oscillation
    • He felt a surge of excitement.
  • (electricity) A sudden electrical spike or increase of voltage and current.
    • A power surge at that generator created a blackout across the whole district.
  • (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.
  • (obsolete) A spring; a fountain.
  • * Ld. Berners
    • divers surges and springs of water
  • The tapered part of a windlass barrel or a capstan, upon which the cable surges, or slips.

    • Synonyms

    * inrush

    Derived terms

    * countersurge * surgeless

    Verb

    (surg)
  • (lb) To rush, flood, or increase suddenly.
  • :
  • *
  • *: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.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-03, author=David S. Senchina, volume=101, issue=2, page=134
    • , magazine=(American Scientist) , title= Athletics and Herbal Supplements , passage=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.}}
  • To accelerate forwards, particularly suddenly.
  • :
  • *{{quote-news, year=2011, date=September 2, work=BBC
    • , title= Wales 2-1 Montenegro , passage=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.}}
  • To slack off a line.

    • Related terms

    * source

    References

    * * * FM 55-501

    Anagrams

    * * ----

    heighten

    English

    Verb

  • To make high; to raise higher; to elevate.
  • To advance, increase, augment, make larger, more intense, stronger etc.
  • :to heighten beauty
  • :to heighten a flavor or a tint.
  • * 2006 , Ashley Seager, Employment rise gives chancellor a boost'', published in ''The Guardian Online , 6 December 2006
  • *:If Mr Brown chooses, he could raise his estimate of the economy's "trend" rate of growth in the coming years and so heighten his hopes of tax revenues.