Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

rip-roaring

American  
[rip-rawr-ing, -rohr-] / ˈrɪpˌrɔr ɪŋ, -ˌroʊr- /

adjective

Informal.

  1. boisterously wild and exciting; riotous.

    Have a rip-roaring good time.
rip-roaring British  

adjective

  1. informal characterized by excitement, intensity, or boisterous behaviour

"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 rip-roaring

1825–35, rip 1 + roaring, alteration of rip-roarious, modeled on uproarious

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.

A teensy stretch of trading weakness this year—a pause in rip-roaring gains, really—has left the valuation looking ordinary, despite a profit outlook that has no equal in history.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

Firms that had banner years would lay siege to hotel ballrooms, trumpeting their good fortune with rip-roaring excesses more suited to an Indian wedding.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

That bubble included “a rip-roaring market” for initial public offerings and secondary offerings of stock.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 3, 2025

Windsor Park was at its rip-roaring best on Monday to greet Germany and O'Neill said the home support "carried" his young squad as legs started to tire.

From BBC • Oct. 13, 2025

“Intelligence work is not a series of rip-roaring adventures, a string of tricks or an entertaining trip abroad,” Abel cautioned.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

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.