rile

[ rahyl ]

/ raɪl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rile ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), riled, ril·ing. Chiefly Northern and North Midland U.S.

to irritate or vex.

to roil (water or the like).

Nearby words

rijswijk, rikers island, rikishi, riksdag, riksmål, rile, riley, riley-day syndrome, rilievo, rilke, rill

Origin of rile

First recorded in 1815–25; variant of roil

SYNONYMS FOR rile

1 irk, annoy, provoke, chafe, nettle.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rile ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rile

For well over a century, artists have been trying to rile us, making us question ourselves and our society.
The Big Idea: Why Forgeries Are Great Art|Jonathon Keats|April 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Sheikh Hamza, however, refused to join in and rile up the people.
Iraq War, 10th Anniversary: The Last Grand Mufti|John Kael Weston|March 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Michael Tomasky says they can't win the swing vote, so they're going with Plan B: Rile up the base.
Mitt Romney’s Last-Ditch Strategy: Inflame the Base|Michael Tomasky|September 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In other words, they want more than anything else not to rile up liberals.
My Supreme Court-Health Care Prediction|Michael Tomasky|June 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Limbaugh became a radio powerhouse, and a leader of the Republican Party, through withering attacks that rile up his base.
Why Rush Limbaugh’s Apology for Sandra Fluke ‘Slut’ Remarks Bombed|Howard Kurtz|March 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
His p. 156letters in the papers used to rile my people terribly.
The Gypsy's Parson|George Hall
But his father has a grip on the worst elements here, and everyone seems afraid to rile up the old wrecker.
Darry the Life Saver|Frank V. Webster
They rile me—that talk about 'people in the humbler walks of life.'
The Spenders|Harry Leon Wilson
But it does rile me to hear that one of these fellows has called himself a newspaper man.
The Colossus|Opie Read
It seemed to Myron that the chap deliberately sought him out in order to rile him.
Full-Back Foster|Ralph Henry Barbour

British Dictionary definitions for rile

rile

/ (raɪl) /

verb (tr)

to annoy or anger; irritate

US and Canadian to stir up or agitate (water, etc); roil or make turbid

Word Origin for rile

C19: variant of roil

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012