verb
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to annoy or anger; irritate
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to stir up or agitate (water, etc); roil or make turbid
Etymology
Origin of rile
First recorded in 1815–25; variant of roil
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.
Japan votes in snap elections Sunday with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hoping to turn a honeymoon start into a resounding ballot box victory that could rile China and rattle financial markets.
From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026
The 20-year-old rapper ian draws millions of listeners and has managed to rile up the internet in a way few rappers do.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025
“I’ve never seen him to be vulgar. I’ve never seen him be disrespectful or rile people up against the law enforcement or ICE. No, he simply informs. The guy is a good man.”
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 23, 2025
It’s certainly possible that this is ragebait—a confession so calculatedly oblivious to its own evil that it can’t possibly be true, its only goal to rile up outrage for internet points.
From Slate • Apr. 26, 2024
“You know, this is normally where’d I’d make some ‘friggin’ patriarchal’ joke to rile you up, but I’ll refrain because that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Jupiter.”
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
