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

OpenAI completed that transformation in 2025, some three years after its ChatGPT digital assistant made AI and those who build it all the rage in the tech world.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

If “Beef” were solely about the corrosiveness of rage, this season’s rivalry wouldn’t be worth slicing into.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026

But I also understand the rage of taxpayers who wonder why Los Angeles City Hall is so incapable of managing the basics.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

At the heart of the arguments that rage around immigration and asylum are two of the most potent ideas in politics: fairness and control.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

When he saw his expensive beauty dangling from the tree, the old man flew into a rage.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

Related Words

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