rage

American  

[reyj] / reɪdʒ /

noun

1. angry fury; violent anger (sometimes used in combination).

   a speech full of rage;

   incidents of road rage.

   Synonyms:

   madness, ire, passion, frenzy, wrath

   Antonyms:

   calm

2. a fit of violent anger.

   Her rages usually don't last too long.

3. fury or violence of wind, waves, fire, disease, etc.

   Synonyms:

   turbulence

4. violence of feeling, desire, or appetite.

   the rage of thirst.

5. a violent desire or passion.

6. ardor; fervor; enthusiasm.

   poetic rage.

   Synonyms:

   vehemence, eagerness

7. the object of widespread enthusiasm, as for being popular or fashionable.

   Raccoon coats were the rage on campus.

   Synonyms:

   craze, fashion, fad, vogue

8. Archaic. insanity.

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verb (used without object)

raged, raging

1. to act or speak with fury; show or feel violent anger; fulminate.

   Synonyms:

   storm, fume, rave

2. to move, rush, dash, or surge furiously.

   Synonyms:

   storm, fume, rave

3. to proceed, continue, or prevail with great violence.

   The battle raged ten days.

4. (of feelings, opinions, etc.) to hold sway with unabated violence.

idioms

1. all the rage, widely popular or in style.

rage British  

/ reɪdʒ /

noun

1. intense anger; fury

2. violent movement or action, esp of the sea, wind, etc

3. great intensity of hunger, sexual desire, or other feelings

4. aggressive behaviour associated with a specified environment or activity

   road rage

   school rage

5. a fashion or craze (esp in the phrase all the rage )

6. informal a dance or party

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verb

1. to feel or exhibit intense anger

2. (esp of storms, fires, etc) to move or surge with great violence

3. (esp of a disease or epidemic) to spread rapidly and uncontrollably

4. informal to have a good time

rage More Idioms  

1. see all the rage.

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Related Words

See anger.

Other Word Forms

• rageful adjective
• ragingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of rage

First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the noun) Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin rabia, Latin rabiēs “madness” ( rabies ( def. ) ), derivative of rabere “to be mad, rave”; verb derivative of the noun

Explanation

Rage is a really intense anger. Some frustrated drivers let their emotions boil over into road rage when another car cuts them off, for example. If you're full of rage, you're full of anger — powerful, extreme, sometimes even violent anger. Rage can also be a verb: you might rage against something you hate or as the poet Dylan Thomas pleaded, "Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Things that rage are out of control, like a raging, roaring fire or a wild storm. Another meaning involves the latest, greatest trend — you'd say it's "all the rage."

Example Sentences

It’s a truly stunning expression of his rage and betrayal — a seething accusation — told entirely through bodies and gesture.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

The talk show began in October 2024 and quickly became all the rage among the Silicon Valley tech crowd.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Stocks began to recover in October, however, even as the war continued to rage and the Federal Reserve was planning near-term interest-rate hikes to tame inflation pressures.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

The song that illuminated the path back home was Euphoria, an absolute earthquake of self belief, where Ridings screams with "the rage in my heart as red as my hair".

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

I didn’t have to be there when the social worker called him and told him what I reported; I knew the rage he felt, and I knew he felt I betrayed him.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• animosity
• bitterness
• exasperation
• excitement
• frenzy
• furor
• fury
• indignation
• irritation
• madness
• mania
• obsession
• outburst
• passion
• resentment
• temper
• violence