soar
- To fly or rise high into the air, or to increase rapidly to a great level.
In a sentence
- The eagle soared effortlessly on the warm updrafts above the canyon.
- Housing prices continued to soar throughout the summer, alarming first-time buyers.
Usage note. 'Soar' implies effortless, graceful upward movement; use 'surge' for rapid increase in numbers or intensity when a physical flight image is not intended.
Where it comes from
English soar — “to fly high; rise rapidly” · entered English 14th c.
From Old French 'essorer', meaning 'to fly up' or 'to expose to air', derived from Vulgar Latin '*exaurare', composed of Latin 'ex-' (out) and 'aura' meaning 'breeze' or 'air'. The word entered Middle English in the late 14th century. Its figurative sense of rapid increase developed later (source: Oxford, Etymonline).