roar

1 of 2

verb

ˈrȯr 

roared; roaring; roars

intransitive verb

1

a

: to utter or emit a full loud prolonged sound

b

: to sing or shout with full force

2

a

: to make or emit a loud confused sound (such as background reverberation or rumbling)

b

: to laugh loudly

3

a

: to be boisterous or disorderly

b

: to proceed or rush with great noise or commotion

4

: to make a loud noise during inhalation (such as that of a horse affected with roaring)

transitive verb

1

: to utter or proclaim with a roar

2

: to cause to roar

roar

2 of 2

noun

1

: the deep cry of a wild animal (such as a lion)

2

: a loud deep cry (as of pain or anger)

3

: a loud continuous confused sound

the roar of the crowd

4

: a boisterous outcry

Synonyms

Verb

• bellow
• boom
• growl
• thunder

Noun

• clamor
• howl
• hubbub
• hue and cry
• hullabaloo
• noise
• outcry
• tumult
• uproar
• vociferation

Examples of roar in a Sentence

Verb

We heard a lion roar in the distance.

The joke got the crowd roaring.

The crowd roared its approval.

She roared at him for being late.

Noun

the roar of the airplane engines

the roar of the river

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In the car, Stone jammed his backpack between his knees, and the two siblings inched down Palisades Drive, the brush along the shoulder a roaring blaze. —Corina Knoll, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025

Strong tornadoes possible Severe thunderstorms will roar to life south of where the heaviest rain falls Saturday. —Mary Gilbert, CNN, 15 Feb. 2025

Noun

Rudolph’s free-form use of onscreen effects and graphics extracts in visual form the manic contents of this inner verbal roar. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2025

And the acoustic details to amplify the roar of the crowd. —Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English roren, from Old English rārian; akin to Old High German rērēn to bleat

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing roar

• roar (back) to life
• sputter/roar to life

Rhymes for roar

• boar
• boer
• bore
• chore
• cor
• core
• corps
• crore
• door
• drawer
• floor
• flor

Kids Definition

roar

1 of 2 verb

ˈrō(ə)r 

ˈrȯ(ə)r

1

: to utter a long full loud sound

the lion roared

2

: to laugh loudly

3

: to say with a roar

roarer

ˈrōr-ər

ˈrȯr-

noun

roar

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: the deep loud cry of a wild animal (as a lion)

b

: a loud deep cry or shout

2

: a loud confused sound

the roar of the crowd