race riot

American  

noun

1. a riot resulting from animosity or tensions between racial or ethnic groups.

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race riot British  

noun

1. a riot among members of different races in the same community

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Etymology

Origin of race riot

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

Malaysian social media users on Monday reported a slew of posts on short video platform TikTok after the election that mentioned a deadly race riot in Kuala Lumpur on May 13, 1969.

From Reuters • Nov. 22, 2022

“If they cannot rely on its intelligence about a pandemic or about who’s responsible for violence during a race riot or the trajectory of a hurricane, what are they there for?”

From New York Times • Aug. 19, 2020

The congregation’s building was destroyed in the 1921 race riot, and members rebuilt at the current location seven years later.

From Washington Post • Jan. 19, 2020

Hoover called for investigation into “radical activity” again after a race riot in Omaha, Nebraska, on Sept. 28, 1919, but “none could be found,” Ellis writes.

From Slate • Jul. 19, 2019

After the Detroit race riot in 1943, presidential assistant Jonathan Daniels had organized a committee to deal with racial troubles.

From Integration of the Armed Forces, 1940-1965 by MacGregor, Morris J.