roaring
Americannoun
-
the act of a person, animal, or thing that roars.
-
a loud, deep cry or sound or a series of such sounds.
-
Veterinary Pathology. a disease of horses, caused by respiratory obstruction or vocal cord paralysis, and characterized by loud or rough breathing sounds.
adjective
-
making or causing a roar, as an animal or thunder.
-
brisk or highly successful, as trade.
He did a roaring business selling watches to tourists.
-
characterized by noisy, disorderly behavior; boisterous; riotous.
roaring revelry.
-
complete; utter; out-and-out.
a roaring idiot; a roaring success.
adverb
adjective
-
informal very brisk and profitable (esp in the phrase a roaring trade )
-
the period of the Australian goldrushes
-
derogatory (intensifier)
a roaring communist
adverb
noun
-
a loud prolonged cry
-
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
Etymology
Origin of roaring
before 1000; Middle English roryng (noun, adj.), Old English rarung (noun). See roar, -ing 1, -ing 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Aside from technology, a roaring bull market this isn’t.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
Seligman, Ariz., and Oatman, Ariz. And the single, graceful bridge that is centered upon the land’s backdrop mountain range closely resembles Pasadena’s own Colorado Street Bridge, although there’s no roaring waterfall next to the original.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
The single funniest gag arrives before the opening credits, when the roaring of the MGM lion is replaced by a baaaing sound.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
The breakfast show presenter pedalled the two-seater through England, Wales and Scotland, from Weymouth, Dorset, arriving to roaring crowds at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium on 20 March.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
It was more like a monster deep in the bowels of her belly, roaring and clawing to get out.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.