roiled; roiling; roils
2
: to move turbulently : be in a state of turbulence or agitation
conflicting emotions roiling inside her
Examples of roil in a Sentence
Financial markets have been roiled by the banking crisis.
the waters of the gulf tossed and roiled as the hurricane surged toward the shore
Recent Examples on the Web
The derailment and chemical release roiled East Palestine — a town near the Pennsylvania border of roughly 4,600 people — drawing national attention to freight railroad safety and leaving residents with lingering fears of contamination.
—
Justine McDaniel, Washington Post, 25 June 2024
Homicide and nonfatal shooting totals fell again in 2023, but the city was roiled by robbery and carjacking crews responsible for an overall uptick in violence.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2024
Politics California races roiled by border, immigration.
—Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024
Block had announced his retirement last August before the university came under intense scrutiny for its response to pro-Palestinian protests that had roiled college campuses across the country in late April and early May.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for roil 
Justine McDaniel, Washington Post, 25 June 2024
Homicide and nonfatal shooting totals fell again in 2023, but the city was roiled by robbery and carjacking crews responsible for an overall uptick in violence.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2024
Politics California races roiled by border, immigration.
—Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024
Block had announced his retirement last August before the university came under intense scrutiny for its response to pro-Palestinian protests that had roiled college campuses across the country in late April and early May.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for roil
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'roil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near roil
Cite this Entry
“Roil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roil. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
roil
verb
ˈrȯi(ə)l 
sense 2 is also ˈrī(ə)l
1
: to make cloudy or muddy by stirring up
roil the water of a brook
2
: to rouse the anger of
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