rave

¹ American  

[reyv] / reɪv /

verb (used without object)

• raves,
  present (3rd person singular)
• raved,
  past participle,  past
• raving
  present participle

1. to talk wildly, as in delirium.

   Synonyms:

   rhapsodize, gush, enthuse, storm, rant, rage, jabber, babble

2. to talk or write with extravagant enthusiasm.

   She raved about her trip to Europe.

3. (of wind, water, storms, etc.) to make a wild or furious sound; rage.

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verb (used with object)

• raves,
  present (3rd person singular)
• raved,
  past participle,  past
• raving
  present participle

1. to utter as if in madness.

noun

1. an act of raving.

2. an extravagantly enthusiastic appraisal or review of something.

3. a dance party featuring electronic dance music arranged by a disc jockey and a light show or other visual effects, and typically characterized by amphetamine and psychedelic drug use.

   They have these all-night raves in a field just outside the city limits.

4. British Informal. a boisterous party, especially a dance.

   We hung pretty party lights and invited everyone who lived in the building to our rooftop rave.

adjective

1. extravagantly flattering or enthusiastic.

   rave reviews of a new play.

rave ² American  

[reyv] / reɪv /

noun

1. a vertical sidepiece of a wagon or other vehicle.

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rave ¹ British  

/ reɪv /

verb

1. to utter (something) in a wild or incoherent manner, as when mad or delirious

2. (intr) to speak in an angry uncontrolled manner

3. (intr) (of the sea, wind, etc) to rage or roar

4. informal (intr; foll by over or about) to write or speak (about) with great enthusiasm

5. slang (intr) to enjoy oneself wildly or uninhibitedly

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noun

1. informal

   1. enthusiastic or extravagant praise

   2. ( as modifier )

      a rave review

2. slang

   1. Also called: rave-up.  a party

   2. a professionally organized party for young people, with electronic dance music, sometimes held in a field or disused building

3. slang a fad or fashion

   the latest rave

4. a name given to various types of dance music, such as techno, that feature fast electronic rhythm

rave ² British  

/ reɪv /

noun

1. a vertical sidepiece on a wagon

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rave Idioms  

1. see rant and rave; stark raving mad.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• raver
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• raving
  present
• raved
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• rave
  simple
• raves
  simple
• have raved
  perfect
• has raved
  perfect
• am raving
  progressive
• are raving
  progressive
• is raving
  progressive
• have been raving
  perfect progressive
• has been raving
  perfect progressive

Past

• raved
  simple
• had raved
  perfect
• was raving
  progressive
• were raving
  progressive
• had been raving
  perfect progressive

Future

• will rave
  simple
• will have raved
  perfect
• will be raving
  progressive
• will have been raving
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of rave¹

First recorded in 1325–75; 1915–25 rave ¹ for def. 2; 1960–65 rave ¹ for def. 8; 1985–90 rave ¹ for def. 7; Middle English verb raven, probably from Middle French resver “to wander, be delirious”; further origin uncertain

Origin of rave²

First recorded in 1520–30; origin obscure; probably an alteration of dialect rathe “rail or shaft on a cart”

Explanation

If you rave about a book you just read, you're telling people you think it's great, or you're giving it a rave review. Rave has two levels, one that implies you're very excited about something and the other that you are too excited, so you seem crazy. While raving about a movie means to talk it up, being a raving lunatic means you are engaging in a lot of crazy talk. When you rave about a performance, you talk enthusiastically about it. Take that enthusiastic talking to the next level, and you might be called raving in the crazy sense.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rave raves raved raving

Reminding some of the once viral Techno Viking, Kasper Hogh is already earning rave reviews after recording his first goals - and first hat-trick - for Celtic.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

And he continues to get rave reviews from Riley, who called the Hall of Famer “one of one” on Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The U.S. has been getting rave reviews, hailed as a friendly behemoth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

“Batman: Caped Crusader” drew rave reviews in its first season, but everything else this month looks pretty “meh.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

Tuck began to rave now, his face stretched with horror.

From "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbit

Her research started with the usual suspects of nightlife lore — 1920s Paris, 1970s disco and 1990s raves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

He said raves and free parties still happen and "there is still a generation of youngsters who don't care, they actively are pushing away from that".

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

But its soaring atriums decorated with onyx and green marble could hardly be better calculated to induce jealousy in Trump, who frequently raves about the opulent dwellings of other foreign leaders.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

“A triumphant return to form for a man who may have lost a step at one point in his career,” raves The Wrap – and, wow.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

“Conner is one of our best volunteers. He raves about you.”

From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence

In the line for a selfie with the party’s candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, on Dessau’s market square, Florian Thiele, 19, raved about the man and his program.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Nootbaar attended Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s last game in Japan and absolutely raved about the energy in the stadium.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

He also raved about chicken fried steak, posting on X: “Every Scottish person in America needs to immediately try Chicken Fried Steak, and you’ll realise we and the Americans are kindred spirits.”

From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026

Morissette, who is originally from Canada, has since raved about life outside of Hollywood, telling local news network ABC7 in 2024 that she had wanted to move to the Bay Area since she was 21.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026

They discussed and debated and raved and ranted until they were on the verge of blows, when it was decided to submit the question to arbitration by the princesses.'

From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster

This, the author argues, has led to a loss of the innovation in music, fashion and art that raving with raucous strangers on sticky dance floors sometimes sparks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Coverage in the Post included stories of people raving that it was all “very cool” and “magical.”

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

He practises that technique a lot, if it goes in everyone's raving about him.

From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026

Coach Patrick Roy has been raving about Bryson’s contributions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 2026

But tomorrow, I might be raving that my parents are trying to kill me, and I’ll believe it as completely as I believe the earth is round.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

• babble
• freak out
• fume
• go crazy
• rant