Synonyms

rile

American

[rahyl] / raɪl /

verb (used with object)

Chiefly Northern and North Midland U.S.

riled, riling

to irritate or vex.

Synonyms:

nettle, chafe, provoke, annoy, irk
to roil (water or the like).

rile British

/ raɪl /

verb

to annoy or anger; irritate
to stir up or agitate (water, etc); roil or make turbid

"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

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.

My butterflies, their wings inky red, flap furiously, riling up a storm.

From Literature

The Washington compromise riled traditional automakers, including General Motors, Ford and Toyota, which lobbied against it, arguing it unfairly advantages startups.

From The Wall Street Journal

If I got hired on somewhere, I supposed I’d have to tell her, but no need to get her all riled up before anything was settled.

From Literature

With this police run-in, Country Joe and the Fish received a slew of press, riling up the public ahead of their Woodstock performance.

From Los Angeles Times

Energy markets have been riled by this disruption and oil prices shot up.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023