- present participle of roar.
roaring
Americannoun
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the act of a person, animal, or thing that roars.
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a loud, deep cry or sound or a series of such sounds.
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Veterinary Pathology. a disease of horses, caused by respiratory obstruction or vocal cord paralysis, and characterized by loud or rough breathing sounds.
adjective
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making or causing a roar, as an animal or thunder.
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brisk or highly successful, as trade.
He did a roaring business selling watches to tourists.
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characterized by noisy, disorderly behavior; boisterous; riotous.
roaring revelry.
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complete; utter; out-and-out.
a roaring idiot; a roaring success.
adverb
adjective
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informal very brisk and profitable (esp in the phrase a roaring trade )
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the period of the Australian goldrushes
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derogatory (intensifier)
a roaring communist
adverb
noun
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a loud prolonged cry
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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
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.
Liberal democracy was a roaring economic success for most of the 20th century, at least in broad strokes and with some well-known caveats.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026
The Dodgers had just scored twice to take the lead and appeared to be roaring back to life after an anemic start to the series.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Even the derided half-and-half scarves were doing a roaring trade, until it was noticed the sky blue half read: 'Shamchester City - The Cheats'.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
“We went from kids being total failures to a roaring success,” David Sorbaro said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
This time the captain was roaring mad when he opened the door.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
