rabble-rouser

noun

rab·​ble-rous·​er ˈra-bəl-ˌrau̇-zər How to pronounce rabble-rouser (audio)
: one that stirs up the masses of the people (as to hatred or violence) : demagogue
rabble-rousing noun or adjective

Examples of rabble-rouser in a Sentence

rabble-rousers inciting hungry people in breadlines to demand social justice
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Gaetz, a Trump loyalist known for being a rabble-rouser in Congress, has a law degree and briefly practiced law in Florida before entering politics, but has never worked as a prosecutor. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024 Increasingly, Europe’s centrist figureheads are dropping their once-high-minded rhetoric on irregular migration, reaching instead for positions that were previously the preserve of the continent’s populist rabble-rousers. Rob Picheta, CNN, 20 Oct. 2024 Techno—once the music of Black futurists in Detroit, then countercultural rabble-rousers in post-reunification Berlin—is today the stuff of TikTok memes and arguably more popular than ever before. Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 11 Oct. 2024 As mayor, Baraka still talks like a rabble-rouser, at least some of the time. Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024 They’re not all necessarily designed as rabble-rousers, but a a lot of them are. Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Sep. 2024 But the storyline fits his own conversion from a rabble-rouser to a married man, and the song overall meets his standards. Tom Roland, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2024 That honor falls to Irish rabble-rousers Kneecap (7 p.m. Sept. 27 at Concord Music Hall, 2047 N. Milwaukee Ave.; concordmusichall.com), stars of the recent comedic biopic of the same name. Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2024 The ensemble includes 30 actors onstage and many more on video, who appear fleetingly as spirits, royal subjects or rabble-rousers. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rabble-rouser was in 1843

Dictionary Entries Near rabble-rouser

Cite this Entry

“Rabble-rouser.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rabble-rouser. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

rabble-rouser

noun
rab·​ble-rous·​er
ˈrab-əl-ˌrau̇-zər
: a person who stirs up the people especially to hatred or violence
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!