revel
verb (used without object)
to take great pleasure or delight (usually followed byin ).
revel
1 American
[rev-uhl]
/ ˈrɛv əl /
verb (used without object)
-
revels,
present (3rd person singular)
-
reveled,
past participle, past
-
revelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
reveling,
present participle
-
revelling
present participle (especially British)
noun
-
revels
plural
-
boisterous merrymaking or festivity; revelry.
-
Often revels an occasion of merrymaking or noisy festivity with dancing, masking, etc.
Revel
2
American
[ray-vuhl, rye-vyil]
/ ˈreɪ vəl, ˈrjɛ vjɪl /
noun
revel
British
/ ˈrɛvəl /
verb
-
(foll by in) to take pleasure or wallow
to revel in success
-
to take part in noisy festivities; make merry
noun
-
(often plural) an occasion of noisy merrymaking
-
a less common word for revelry
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
revelsimple
-
revelssimple
-
have reveledperfect
-
have revelledperfect
-
has reveledperfect
-
has revelledperfect
-
am revelingprogressive
-
am revellingprogressive
-
are revelingprogressive
-
are revellingprogressive
-
is revelingprogressive
-
is revellingprogressive
-
have been revelingperfect progressive
-
have been revellingperfect progressive
-
has been revelingperfect progressive
-
has been revellingperfect progressive
Past
-
reveledsimple
-
revelledsimple
-
had reveledperfect
-
had revelledperfect
-
was revelingprogressive
-
was revellingprogressive
-
were revelingprogressive
-
were revellingprogressive
-
had been revelingperfect progressive
-
had been revellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of revel
First recorded in 1275–1325; (for the verb) Middle English revelen, from Old French reveler “to raise tumult, make merry,” from Latin rebellāre “to wage war again” ( rebel ); noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
Revel means to take great pleasure. If you revel in something, you're not just pleased or even excited; you're overwhelmed by joy. It used to mean riotous merry-making. Now it means to bask in the self-reflected glow of your own pleasure. You revel in your victory lap after winning the race. Your brother is constantly on your case for being clumsy, so when he knocks down a table filled with glassware, you revel in it. Think of it as a high level of pleasure.
Vocabulary lists containing revel
Romeo and Juliet
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Levy added: "Always say yes to any opportunity to revel in the presence of greatness."
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Yudkowsky’s acolytes grew into the rationalist movement, a group of brainy, often libertarian-leaning outsiders who revel in logical debate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
She is an aesthete, someone who likes to go to the race track just to revel in the colors on display there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
Once the final track has been played, “F.I.G” beckons us to replay, revel in our emotions and dance once, maybe twice or thrice, more.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
When I returned home at night, I would go to my room and lock the door and revel in outlandish exploits of outlandish men in faraway, outlandish cities.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
"My dear friend Ann" is the headline of the Daily Mirror, as Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood describes the late politician as "an amazing human being, and brave."
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Another regular is Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, a family friend whose son Revel also plays music with Shane.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Ending the day with some wordplay: Revel in the weirdness of the English language with Slate’s newest game, SoundBites!
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
“The audience knows if you’re authentic or not,” says Ryan Revel, a talent manager who represents “The Challenge” alum Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio and former “Vanderpump Rules” stars Tom Sandoval, Kristen Doute and Jax Taylor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
One perceives," said Revel, "in these disorders, dimly and distantly, the last dying glow of the age of Romance.
From Kipps The Story of a Simple Soul by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
But the One Ring — the weapon that will reshape Middle-earth — is the true star, and the new peek at the third season revels in its creation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Distressing, that is, because no one who revels in reading about foreign lands would want this man, the master of modern travel writing, to stop doing what he does so well.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
For all his disparate pursuits, Elsesser revels in the small details, incapable of giving anything less than total dedication.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
The film revels in languid establishing shots of the Santa Clara Valley, with the hilly Diablo Range in the background.
From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2026
Down by the river, the revels were only now beginning to dwindle and die.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Lee started the event earlier this year after seeing how her friends reveled in hacking old hardware but had nowhere to show off their reimagined contraptions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
On movie screens, Peter Sellers reveled in comic invention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
On movie screens, Peter Sellers reveled in comic inventiveness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
Kathryn Hahn reveled in the chance to unleash all her witchy acting powers in ‘Agatha All Along,’ a follow-up to Marvel’s ‘WandaVision.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
So was the plum pudding, which melted in one’s mouth, likewise the jellies, in which Amy reveled like a fly in a honeypot.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Pickford revelled in the pressure of the Azteca after Jarell Quansah was sent off against Mexico.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Pollock, introduced in the 48th minute, revelled in the broken field, dry pitch and patchy defence.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Other publications have revelled in how Sturgeon has given interviews against a backdrop of stolen books in stolen bookcases, or offered cups of coffee to journalists from a coffee machine Murrell bought with stolen money.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
They took a wedge, which has never been recovered, from the tree as a trophy and revelled in the media coverage as news of the vandalism caused national and international outrage.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026
Door of Lions If we had revelled overmuch in the art values of the cathedral, San Isidoro administered a prompt corrective.
From Spanish Highways and Byways by Katharine Lee Bates
But the billionaire Republican is also reveling in the macho side of an event that will see bare-knuckle fighters battle it out in a mesh-framed cage known as the "Octagon."
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Two years later, the Quigleys are reveling in the Sunshine State’s education freedom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
An English-language debut by Russian director Kirill Sokolov, who also co-wrote its script, “They Will Kill You” is tongue-in-cheek but not witty, reveling in its excesses without bringing anything fresh to the party.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026
This story is part of Image’s October Abundance issue, reveling in indulgence, maximalism and the deliciously impractical.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025
She flexed her toes in her little leather slippers, reveling in the familiar feel of them on her feet, bouncing on her nubbly rubber soles, fearless and eager.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
Marcus Willis is not one for revelling in nostalgia.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
The briefings have been chest-thumping affairs, revelling in portrayals of American military supremacy.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
Arsenal are almost revelling in their status as the bad guys of the Premier League, and Hurzeler's pre-match words added spice to an already red-hot atmosphere.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026
Jesus's first goal since January 1 left Arteta wreathed in smiles and Watkins' close-range strike in stoppage-time couldn't stop Arsenal revelling in their statement victory.
From Barron's ● Dec. 30, 2025
And I was getting on so well, was revelling in my new-found confidence, and, knowing its transience, was exploiting it for all I was worth.
From Mortal Coils by Aldous Huxley
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