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Synonyms

roaring

American  
[rawr-ing, rohr-] / ˈrɔr ɪŋ, ˈroʊr- /

noun

  1. the act of a person, animal, or thing that roars.

  2. a loud, deep cry or sound or a series of such sounds.

  3. Veterinary Pathology. a disease of horses, caused by respiratory obstruction or vocal cord paralysis, and characterized by loud or rough breathing sounds.


adjective

  1. making or causing a roar, as an animal or thunder.

  2. brisk or highly successful, as trade.

    He did a roaring business selling watches to tourists.

  3. characterized by noisy, disorderly behavior; boisterous; riotous.

    roaring revelry.

  4. complete; utter; out-and-out.

    a roaring idiot; a roaring success.

adverb

  1. very; extremely.

    roaring drunk.

roaring British  
/ ˈrɔːrɪŋ /

adjective

  1. informal very brisk and profitable (esp in the phrase a roaring trade )

  2. the period of the Australian goldrushes

  3. derogatory (intensifier)

    a roaring communist

"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

adverb

  1. noisily or boisterously (esp in the phrase roaring drunk )

"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

noun

  1. a loud prolonged cry

  2. a debilitating breathing defect of horses characterized by rasping sounds with each breath: caused by inflammation of the respiratory tract or obstruction of the larynx Compare whistling

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of roaring

before 1000; Middle English roryng (noun, adj.), Old English rarung (noun). See roar, -ing 1, -ing 2

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.

“In our Roaring 2020s base case scenario, strong productivity gains will keep unit labor costs subdued in 2026,” Yardeni writes.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

In the Roaring ’20s, with money from plays and Pooh, the Milnes bought a picture-postcard house in the country.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

President Donald Trump hosted a “Great Gatsby” themed party for Halloween, complete with tuxedos, flapper dresses, jazz covers and cocktails that evoked the opulence of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Roaring Twenties.

From Salon • Nov. 2, 2025

A Canadian man has been sentenced to almost two years in prison for stealing a famous photograph of Sir Winston Churchill known as "The Roaring Lion".

From BBC • May 26, 2025

It was now the end of the Moon of Roaring Stags.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver