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definitions

roaring

[rawr-ing, rohr-]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR roaring ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

adjective

adverb

very; extremely: roaring drunk.

Origin of roaring

before 1000; Middle English roryng (noun, adj.), Old English rarung (noun). See roar, -ing1, -ing2
Related formsroar·ing·ly, adverb

roar

[rawr, rohr]

verb (used without object)

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)

to utter or express in a roar: to roar denials.
to bring, put, make, etc., by roaring: to roar oneself hoarse.

noun

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.

Origin of roar

before 900; Middle English roren (v.), Old English rārian; cognate with Old High German rēren to bellow
Related formsroar·er, nounout·roar, verb (used with object)un·der·roar·er, noun

Synonyms for roar

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR roar ON THESAURUS.COM
1. bawl, yell. 3. resound, boom, thunder, peal.

Synonym study

1. See cry.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for roaring

booming, earsplitting, resounding, deafening, ringing, turbulent, rowdy, raucous, clamorous, boisterous, tumultuous, crashing, thundering, thriving, heavy, full, blaring, piercing, deep, forte

Examples from the Web for roaring

Contemporary Examples of roaring

Historical Examples of roaring

  • On a rock, amid the roaring water, Lies Cassiopea's gentle daughter.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • Their walk was a delight to him, their roaring gallop a frenzy of eager sensation.

    Thoroughbreds

    W. A. Fraser

  • The roaring winds of the Pacific make you drunk to begin with.

    American Notes

    Rudyard Kipling

  • It was all he could do to restrain himself from roaring aloud in his rage.

    Casanova's Homecoming

    Arthur Schnitzler

  • Before long it was roaring, and diffusing a genial warmth on all sides.

    The Field of Ice

    Jules Verne

British Dictionary definitions for roaring

roaring

adjective

informal very brisk and profitable (esp in the phrase a roaring trade)
the roaring days Australian the period of the Australian goldrushes
Irish derogatory, informal (intensifier)a roaring communist

adverb

noisily or boisterously (esp in the phrase roaring drunk)

noun

a loud prolonged cry
a debilitating breathing defect of horses characterized by rasping sounds with each breath: caused by inflammation of the respiratory tract or obstruction of the larynxCompare whistling
Derived Formsroaringly, adverb

roar

verb (mainly intr)

(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 soundsSee roaring (def. 6)
(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 roaringto 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
See also roar up
Derived Formsroarer, noun

Word Origin for roar

Old English rārian; related to Old High German rērēn, Middle Dutch reren
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
Word Origin and History for roaring
adj.

late 14c., present participle adjective from roar (v.). Used of periods of years characterized by noisy revelry, especially roaring twenties (1930); but also, in Britain, roaring fifties (1892). Roaring forties in reference to exceptional rough seas between latitudes 40 and 50 south, is attested from 1841.

roar

v.

Old English rarian "roar, wail, lament, bellow, cry," probably of imitative origin (cf. Middle Dutch reeren, German röhren "to roar;" Sanskrit ragati "barks;" Lithuanian reju "to scold;" Old Church Slavonic revo "I roar;" Latin raucus "hoarse"). Related: Roared; roaring.

roar

n.

late 14c., from roar (v.) and Old English gerar.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper