roar
Americanverb (used without object)
-
roars,
present (3rd person singular)
-
roared,
past participle, past
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
to bring, put, make, etc., by roaring.
to roar oneself hoarse.
noun
-
roars
plural
-
a loud, deep cry or howl, as of an animal or a person.
the roar of a lion.
-
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
-
(of lions and other animals) to utter characteristic loud growling cries
-
(also tr) (of people) to utter (something) with a loud deep cry, as in anger or triumph
-
to laugh in a loud hearty unrestrained manner
-
(of horses) to breathe with laboured rasping sounds See roaring
-
(of the wind, waves, etc) to blow or break loudly and violently, as during a storm
-
(of a fire) to burn fiercely with a roaring sound
-
(of a machine, gun, etc) to operate or move with a loud harsh noise
-
(tr) to bring (oneself) into a certain condition by roaring
to roar oneself hoarse
noun
-
a loud deep cry, uttered by a person or crowd, esp in anger or triumph
-
a prolonged loud cry of certain animals, esp lions
-
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
-
roarsimple
-
roarssimple
-
have roaredperfect
-
has roaredperfect
-
am roaringprogressive
-
are roaringprogressive
-
is roaringprogressive
-
have been roaringperfect progressive
-
has been roaringperfect progressive
Past
-
roaredsimple
-
had roaredperfect
-
was roaringprogressive
-
were roaringprogressive
-
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
"The Secret Water"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Yelping and Yowling: Synonyms for "Cry"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
That's the Way the Wind Blows
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
He preened, grabbed his oversized scissors and opened his mouth to boast, but no one could hear a single word over the deafening roar of Marine One’s idling engines.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026
But these sights are drained of their warmth, depicted with a cold, eerie hum that, when it bleeds into the roar of suffering miles away, becomes a deafening cacophony.
From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2026
In Virginia, they used to hear the dull roar of cars on the beltway in the distance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Every night on Broadway, Tom Felton walks on stage and is met with a roar from the audience.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Behind them, the Huntsman bellowed in rage, a roar that ended abruptly as the wolf let out his own howl.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Delivering the result, Susannah Parden, vice chair of the parish council, said: "We are Piddington the village that roars."
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 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
The game, taking place in the city where Messi plays his club soccer for Inter Miami, was played in front of almost entirely Argentina die-hards, whose raucous roars shook the stadium concrete.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 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
There were low hums and high-pitched shrieks, roars, and the occasional click of something above him.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
And then it changed, not so completely that Scotland roared and won the game, but they certainly cleared their throats as an attacking force.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 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
Naturally, the crowd roared as she dove bob-first into “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Increasingly confident to take the initiative, she was roared on by a partisan but disappointingly small home crowd.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Grandpa threw his head back and roared with laughter.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
The Colts built a 26-0 lead in the first half of that game, before the Bills came roaring back with the second-largest comeback in an NFL regular-season game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Earplugs are encouraged there to guard against the roaring sound from the servers when up close.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
The much more autumnal look to the weather charts at the moment is down to a particularly brisk and straight jet stream roaring through the skies across the Atlantic.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
His family had held off the cremation in the hope that there would be some news of his missing parents, wife and daughter, who were all swept away when the floods came roaring down.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Finally someone opened the door, and the last they saw of the cat it was roaring down the street, all tangled up in a tablecloth.
From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson
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.
