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riot

 - 8 dictionary results

ri⋅ot

  [rahy-uht]
Use riot in a Sentence
–noun
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. violent or wild disorder or confusion.
4. a brilliant display: a riot of color.
5. something or someone hilariously funny: You were a riot at the party.
6. unrestrained revelry.
7. an unbridled outbreak, as of emotions, passions, etc.
8. Archaic. loose, wanton living; profligacy.
–verb (used without object)
9. 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.
–verb (used with object)
13. to spend (money, time, etc.) in riotous living (usually fol. by away or out).
—Idiom
14. run riot,
a. to act without control or restraint: The neighbors let their children run riot.
b. to grow luxuriantly or abundantly: Crab grass is running riot in our lawn.
Origin:
1175–1225; (n.) ME: debauchery, revel, violent disturbance < OF riot(e) debate, dispute, quarrel, deriv. of rihoter, riot(t)er to quarrel; (v.) ME rioten < OF rihoter, riot(t)er

Related forms:
ri⋅ot⋅er, noun

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. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To riot
ri·ot   (rī'ət)   
n.  

  1. A wild or turbulent disturbance created by a large number of people.

  2. Law A violent disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons assembled for a common purpose.

  3. An unrestrained outbreak, as of laughter or passions.

  4. A profusion: The garden was a riot of colors in August.

    1. Unrestrained merrymaking; revelry.

    2. Debauchery.

  6. Slang An irresistibly funny person or thing: Isn't she a riot?

v.   ri·ot·ed, ri·ot·ing, ri·ots

v.   intr.

  1. To take part in a riot.

  2. To live wildly or engage in uncontrolled revelry.

v.   tr.
To waste (money or time) in wild or wanton living: "rioted his life out, and made an end" (Tennyson).

[Middle English, from Old French, dispute, from rioter, to quarrel, perhaps from ruire, to roar, from Latin rūgīre.]
ri'ot·er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
riot [ˈrɑɪət]

  1. 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.
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Word Origin & History

riot  (n.)
c.1225, "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 from 1386. Run riot is first recorded 1523, 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 alternate form riot grrl first recorded 1992.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: ri·ot
Function: noun
: a disturbance of the peace created by an assemblage of usually three or more people acting with a common purpose and in a violent and tumultuous manner to the terror of the public; also : the crime of rioting

Main Entry: riot
Function: intransitive verb
: to create or engage in a riot —ri·ot·er noun
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

riot

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

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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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.
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