roaring

[rawr-ing, rohr-]

noun

1. the act of a person, animal, or thing that roars.

2. a loud, deep cry or sound or a series of such sounds.

3. Veterinary Pathology.,  a disease of horses, caused by respiratory obstruction or vocal cord paralysis, and characterized by loud or rough breathing sounds.

adjective

1. making or causing a roar, as an animal or thunder.

2. brisk or highly successful, as trade.

   He did a roaring business selling watches to tourists.

3. characterized by noisy, disorderly behavior; boisterous; riotous.

   roaring revelry.

4. complete; utter; out-and-out.

   a roaring idiot; a roaring success.

adverb

1. very; extremely.

   roaring drunk.

roaring

/ ˈrɔːrɪŋ /

adjective

1. informal,  very brisk and profitable (esp in the phrase a roaring trade )

2. the period of the Australian goldrushes

3. derogatory,  (intensifier)

   a roaring communist

adverb

1. noisily or boisterously (esp in the phrase roaring drunk )

noun

1. a loud prolonged cry

2. a debilitating breathing defect of horses characterized by rasping sounds with each breath: caused by inflammation of the respiratory tract or obstruction of the larynx Compare whistling

Other Word Forms

• roaringly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of roaring¹

before 1000; Middle English roryng (noun, adj.), Old English rarung (noun). See roar, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

Pugh said he heard hissing before the explosion and then a roaring sound similar to a freight train that lasted for about 30 minutes.

From Los Angeles Times

Mariachi Joe Kelly was on the mound delighting the roaring crowd with a ceremonial first pitch that appropriately bounced.

From Los Angeles Times

What was it like to shoot in these massive stadiums with roaring crowds?

From Los Angeles Times

The equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, Ragasa is the world's strongest storm this year and has been roaring over the South China Sea for days.

From BBC

For much of Saturday and often into Sunday they holler and dance and set off roaring fireworks.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• boisterous 
• booming www.thesaurus.com
• clamorous 
• crashing 
• deafening 
• earsplitting 
• raucous 
• resounding 
• ringing www.thesaurus.com
• rowdy 
• thundering 
• tumultuous 
• turbulent