Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

riot

[rahy-uh

noun

a noisy, violent public disorder caused by a group or crowd of persons, as by a crowd protesting against another group, a government policy, etc., in the streets.

Law. a disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons acting together in a disrupting and tumultuous manner in carrying out their private purposes.

violent or wild disorder or confusion.

a brilliant display: a riot of color.

something or someone hilariously funny: You were a riot at the party.

EXPAND

unrestrained revelry.

an unbridled outbreak, as of emotions, passions, etc.

Archaic. loose, wanton living; profligacy.

COLLAPSE

verb (used without object)

to take part in a riot or disorderly public outbreak.

10.

to live in a loose or wanton manner; indulge in unrestrained revelry: Many of the Roman emperors rioted notoriously.

11.

Hunting. (of a hound or pack) to pursue an animal other than the intended quarry.

12.

to indulge unrestrainedly; run riot.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Riot is always a great word to know.

So is probable cause. Does it mean:

a secret understanding between two or more persons to gain something illegally, to defraud another, or to appear as adversaries though in agreement

reasonable ground for a belief, as that the accused was guilty of the crime, used especially as a defense to an action for malicious prosecution

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

verb (used with object)

13.

to spend (money, time, etc.) in riotous living (usually followed by away or out).

Idiom

14.

run riot,

to act without control or restraint: The neighbors let their children run riot.

to grow luxuriantly or abundantly: Crab grass is running riot in our lawn.

Origin:
1175–1225; (noun) Middle English: debauchery, revel, violent disturbance < Old French riot(e) debate, dispute, quarrel, derivative of rihoter, riot(t)er to quarrel; (v.) Middle English rioten < Old French rihoter, riot(t)er

Related forms

ri·ot·er, noun

an·ti·ri·ot, adjective, noun

coun·ter·ri·ot·er, noun

non·ri·ot·er, noun

non·ri·ot·ing, adjective

EXPAND

un·ri·ot·ing, adjective

COLLAPSE

Synonyms
1. outbreak, brawl, fray, melee. 3. uproar, tumult, disturbance. 9. brawl, fight. 10. carouse.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To riot

Example Sentences

J, which culminated in a riot and almost in murder.

The riot police charge, and bystanders hide in their doorways.

And that needs to be looked into for a longterm solution to this shortlived riot.

EXPAND

J, which culminated in a riot and almost in murder.

The riot police charge, and bystanders hide in their doorways.

And that needs to be looked into for a longterm solution to this shortlived riot.

Experts say anticipation and law-enforcement planning can help control riot situations.

All the seeds germinated, resulting in a riot of wildflowers.

India's military is getting ready to deploy weapons-grade chillis for counter-insurgency and riot control.

They could have responded in such a crackdown that no one would dare riot after the first day.

Riot police, bristling with sidearms and batons, have encircled the library and ordered the students to leave.

They were still more of a riot than a movement-a faceless, leaderless mob growing daily as new adherents flocked in.

The reasons for this riot was looting and shows how wreckless the youngsters have become.

Thousands of police officers have put away riot gear and returned to routine patrols.

At each place she found only riot police, security trucks, and clean-shaven men speaking into walkie-talkies.

They arrived along with state troopers who were wearing riot gear and armed with tear gas.

Surrounded by riot troops, the protesters stood their ground in peace.

The writer didnot focuse on who should be blamed, but on the life of ordinary people and what the riot bring to it.

With so many inmates in one place, a bloody riot took place in the gym one evening, shortly after our film crew left.

They riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions.

The obvious remedy is to lengthen their financing, and regulators have been reading the riot act to get them to do this.

Zooming in for a close look at one of the tiny figures, however, opens up an entirely different pattern: a riot of or.

The riot began when an altercation at a union meeting of black sharecroppers resulted in the death of a white security officer.

They'll be carrying electrically-charged riot shields, zapping the unruly without unholstering their.

The riot grrrl movement still inspires musicians, years after it ended.

Do you try to pull them through, or read them the riot act.

Riot police blocked routes into the city and fired water cannon to break up the rally.

The room is a riot of plywood shelving and secondhand cabinets.

Unruh, staged a wild dining room riot this afternoon at the.

Read them the riot act on the fact that it really is due on the due date.

But people chose not to riot because it is a country that generates more hope and opportunity for the young.

Riot police soon arrive and, as they so often did in the apartheid past, they stand guard over a demolition team:.

Nevertheless, allow me to suggest that chuckkle wasn't looking askance at a teacher reading the riot to malfeasant students.

They carry metal bars and petrol bombs and ritual clashes with riot police ensue.

There are a lot of little details that come out in dialog or in the imagery that pay homage, and are often a riot to read or see.

He also needs to read the grad student the riot act.

No doubt, vanloads of riot police lining the roads give would-be protesters pause for thought.

Food stalls send forth a riot of competing smells that entice and repulse.

Her outraged widower spurred a protest that escalated into a riot.

They demand freedom of speech, but will riot and burn and kill anyone else who exercises freedom of speech.

Three days earlier, riot police had broken up the first pockets of protest.

Lee created a small riot by throwing money in the air in front of the building.

Riot police and plainclothes security men have ringed universities.

The gang of colorful misfits start a riot at a street fair and eat all the concession food.

After a fight and/or riot the prisoners are treated with immediate medical attention.

As ministers lose power, nobody is left to read him the riot act on the economy.

The results are closer than you might think, but the video itself is a riot.

In two cases, riot police were sent in to clear them.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

riot (ˈraɪət)

—n
1.	a. a disturbance made by an unruly mob or (in law) three or more persons; tumult or uproar
	b. (as modifier): a riot gun; riot police; a riot shield
2.	boisterous activity; unrestrained revelry
3.	an occasion of boisterous merriment
4.	slang a person who occasions boisterous merriment
5.	a dazzling or arresting display: a riot of colour
6.	hunting the indiscriminate following of any scent by hounds
7.	archaic wanton lasciviousness
8.	run riot
	a. to behave wildly and without restraint
	b. (of plants) to grow rankly or profusely

—vb (foll by away)
9.	(intr) to take part in a riot
10.	(intr) to indulge in unrestrained revelry or merriment
11.	to spend (time or money) in wanton or loose living: he has rioted away his life

[C13: from Old French riote dispute, from ruihoter to quarrel, probably from ruir to make a commotion, from Latin rugīre to roar]

'rioter

—n

'rioting

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

riot

early 13c., "debauchery, extravagance, wanton living," from O.Fr. riote (masc. riot) "dispute, quarrel," perhaps from Prov. riota, of uncertain origin. Meaning "public disturbance" is first recorded 1390. Meaning "something spectacularly successful" first recorded 1909 in theater slang. The verb is attested

EXPAND

from late 14c. Run riot is first recorded 1520s, a metaphoric extension from M.E. meaning in ref. to hounds following the wrong scent. The Riot Act, part of which must be read to a mob before active measures can be taken, was passed 1714 (1 Geo. I, st.2, c.5). Riot girl and alternative form riot grrl first recorded 1992.

COLLAPSE

Slang Dictionary

riot definition

[ˈrɑɪət]

n.
someone or something entertaining or funny. : Tom was a riot last night.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

riot

see read the riot act; run amok (riot).

Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia

riot

in criminal law, a violent offense against public order involving three or more people. Like an unlawful assembly, a riot involves a gathering of persons for an illegal purpose. In contrast to an unlawful assembly, however, a riot involves violence. The concept is obviously broad and embraces a wide range of group conduct, from a bloody clash between picketers and strikebreakers to the behaviour of a street-corner gang

Learn more about riot with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help