roar
Americanverb (used without object)
-
roars,
present (3rd person singular)
-
roared,
past participle, past
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roaring
present participle
-
to utter a loud, deep cry or howl, as in excitement, distress, or anger.
-
to laugh loudly or boisterously.
to roar at a joke.
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to make a loud sound or din, as thunder, cannon, waves, or wind.
-
to function or move with a loud, deep sound, as a vehicle.
The automobile roared away.
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to make a loud noise in breathing, as a horse.
verb (used with object)
-
roars,
present (3rd person singular)
-
roared,
past participle, past
-
roaring
present participle
-
to utter or express in a roar.
to roar denials.
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to bring, put, make, etc., by roaring.
to roar oneself hoarse.
noun
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roars
plural
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a loud, deep cry or howl, as of an animal or a person.
the roar of a lion.
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a loud, confused, constant noise or sound; din; clamor.
the roar of the surf; the roar of lively conversation from the crowded party.
-
a loud outburst.
a roar of laughter; a roar of approval from the audience.
verb
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(of lions and other animals) to utter characteristic loud growling cries
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(also tr) (of people) to utter (something) with a loud deep cry, as in anger or triumph
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to laugh in a loud hearty unrestrained manner
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(of horses) to breathe with laboured rasping sounds See roaring
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(of the wind, waves, etc) to blow or break loudly and violently, as during a storm
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(of a fire) to burn fiercely with a roaring sound
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(of a machine, gun, etc) to operate or move with a loud harsh noise
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(tr) to bring (oneself) into a certain condition by roaring
to roar oneself hoarse
noun
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a loud deep cry, uttered by a person or crowd, esp in anger or triumph
-
a prolonged loud cry of certain animals, esp lions
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any similar noise made by a fire, the wind, waves, artillery, an engine, etc
-
a loud unrestrained burst of laughter
Synonym Usage
See cry.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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roarsimple
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roarssimple
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have roaredperfect
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has roaredperfect
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am roaringprogressive
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are roaringprogressive
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is roaringprogressive
-
have been roaringperfect progressive
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has been roaringperfect progressive
Past
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roaredsimple
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had roaredperfect
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was roaringprogressive
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were roaringprogressive
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had been roaringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of roar
before 900; Middle English roren (v.), Old English rārian; cognate with Old High German rēren to bellow
Explanation
To roar is to make a ferociously loud sound, like a lion or a tiger. If you go to a football game, you'll hear the crowd roar whenever their team scores a goal. A wild animal roars when it makes its long, full cry, and a person (or a thing) can emit a similar roar. Your boisterous uncle roars with laughter, and the frustrated substitute teacher might roar angrily at the class. Motorcycles sometimes roar down the street, and a judge might silence a courtroom when she roars, "Order!" Roar can also act as a noun, meaning the sound itself — like the roar of the crowd that drowns out your voice. Roar comes from an imitative Old English root.
Vocabulary lists containing roar
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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:
Talarico then stepped into frame to a roar of applause and cheers from the audience, leading to this exchange:
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2026
McHugh said when she phoned her parents to tell them she was on Team Tom "there was this massive roar".
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Jim Paxon remembers the roar as water cascaded down the dam’s spillway, tossing mist into the air and churning the ground below.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
The supersonic aircraft are a key part of the US's combat arsenal, and produce a notoriously loud roar when they pass by.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Another roar came, from somewhere in the palace.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
As loud as the dinos may be, the audience roars even louder.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The pair have a bit of rivalry with Price's on-stage roars and antics often provoking Littler into doing similar, but the teenager denied that Price can get "under his skin".
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
When the announcement was made that the weather threat had cleared, it was greeted by one of the biggest roars of the night.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
The result can be heard in songs like the hard-driving “Is It Real?” in which Hollywell roars about mental illness and divine intervention, while Santos coats it all in steel honey.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
The whirlpool roars in my ears like a freight train.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
She roared in celebration and sprinted towards the away fans - an outburst of emotion that was replicated at full-time by England team-mate Leah Williamson.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
At the heart of the case is a strategy that has become especially popular with corporate executives and investors with sizable stockholdings as markets have roared in recent years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Forty-five years after Formula 1 last roared around Madrid, the Spanish capital is celebrating its return this weekend with a brand-new circuit, accessible from the city centre via only a metro ride.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
He’s distracted when he decides to race a comet: “We roared and thundered along side by side, both doing our level best, because I’d never struck a comet before that could lay over me.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Maggie sarcastically asked the “kind, dear spirits” to cooperate further, and “a hailstorm of responsive knocks” rained down as the audience roared, some in disbelief, others in approval.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
His business deals are key for keeping the stock market roaring.
From Slate ● Nov. 12, 2026
Thousands of Californians yearn to race over dunes in roaring off-highway vehicles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026
Just like last year, when New Zealand drew first blood, the visitors came roaring out, punishing a penalty given away cheaply with a piece of trickery at a close-range line-out that bamboozled the Scots.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
While stock futures initially dipped overnight, major indexes have come roaring back since the opening bell.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
Soon a fire was roaring at the top of the cliff, and they stood back to admire it.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
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