rabble

1
[ rab-uhl ]
See synonyms for rabble on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a disorderly crowd; mob.

  2. the rabble, the lower classes; the common people: The nobility held the rabble in complete contempt.

verb (used with object),rab·bled, rab·bling.
  1. to beset as a rabble does; mob.

Origin of rabble

1
1350–1400; Middle English rabel (noun), of uncertain origin

Words Nearby rabble

Other definitions for rabble (2 of 2)

rabble2
[ rab-uhl ]

noun
  1. a tool or mechanically operated device used for stirring or mixing a charge in a roasting furnace.

verb (used with object),rab·bled, rab·bling.
  1. to stir (a charge) in a roasting furnace.

Origin of rabble

2
1655–65; <French râble fire-shovel, tool, Middle French raable<Latin rutābulum implement for shifting hot coals, equivalent to *rutā(re) presumed frequentative of ruere to churn up, disturb + -bulum suffix of instrument

Other words from rabble

  • rabbler, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rabble in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rabble (1 of 2)

rabble1

/ (ˈræbəl) /


noun
  1. a disorderly crowd; mob

  2. the rabble derogatory the common people

Origin of rabble

1
C14 (in the sense: a pack of animals): of uncertain origin; perhaps related to Middle Dutch rabbelen to chatter, rattle

British Dictionary definitions for rabble (2 of 2)

rabble2

/ (ˈræbəl) /


noun
  1. Also called: rabbler an iron tool or mechanical device for stirring, mixing, or skimming a molten charge in a roasting furnace

verb
  1. (tr) to stir, mix, or skim (the molten charge) in a roasting furnace

Origin of rabble

2
C17: from French râble, from Latin rutābulum rake for a furnace, from ruere to rake, dig up

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