roar
Americanverb (used without object)
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roars,
present (3rd person singular)
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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.
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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)
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roars,
present (3rd person singular)
-
roared,
past participle, past
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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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That's the Way the Wind Blows
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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:
With a cavitating roar, the CrossWave stood up on its tail, throwing Roz backward, her arms wrapped around my neck in a rear naked chokehold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
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
With the score 4-4, Littler let out a passionate roar towards the crowd after a wonderful 95 checkout, with Noppert left on 46.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 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
There was a lion’s roar from the sky, and something like a thin javelin shot past Christopher and stuck into the side of the boat.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
The chant roars through the sports center as Sen. Dan Sullivan revs up the crowd.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Delivering the result, Susannah Parden, vice chair of the parish council, said: "We are Piddington the village that roars."
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Exactly 60 years after Williams’ induction speech on the steps of the Hall of Fame, Baker walked into the Hall and was greeted by the loud roars of another Boston Red Sox legend, David Ortiz.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 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
“He says the freeway roars like the sea because the many cars go so swiftly on it.”
From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty
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
Now, nearly two years to the day after the September 2024 fire roared through, authorities have arrested a suspect in connection with the blaze.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
From some angles the jets appeared very close to the roof of the DHL Stadium as they roared over amid coloured flare smoke.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Like many survivors, Tamang's family had only minutes to escape the torrent of water and debris that roared through their village, leaving them little chance to gather belongings.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
The river swallowed him whole: he was inside it and it roared through him, this pounding power of water.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
“We went from kids being total failures to a roaring success,” David Sorbaro said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
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
A record crowd of 31,944 were at the Amex Stadium to witness it, roaring their side on to the most comprehensive of 3-0 wins.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
When a flood came roaring down the Himalayas into Nepal last year, engineer Santosh Adhikari narrowly escaped by scrambling to higher ground.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
By the time Roz arrived, the fire had grown into a roaring blaze.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
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