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” ( see 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 been a feature of booms that asset-heavy companies’ shares were all the rage as they inflated.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

But that dormant rage would eventually return, to the point where his art became secondary.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

Expect these themes to rage on for Powell’s final stretch.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

Reducing the feelings of helplessness and even rage that new parents experience is itself a meaningful thing.

From Slate • May 3, 2026

It trembled, and then an avalanche of rage made the cavern walls shudder and dust drop from the ceiling.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Related Words

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