riot

1 of 2

noun

ri·​ot ˈrī-ət How to pronounce riot (audio)
1
a
: a violent public disorder
specifically : a tumultuous disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons assembled together and acting with a common intent
b
: public violence, tumult, or disorder
2
: a random or disorderly profusion
the woods were a riot of color
3
: one that is wildly amusing
the new comedy is a riot
4
archaic
a
: profligate behavior : debauchery
b
: unrestrained revelry
c
: noise, uproar, or disturbance made by revelers

riot

2 of 2

verb

rioted; rioting; riots

intransitive verb

1
: to create or engage in a riot
2
: to indulge in revelry or wantonness
rioter noun

Examples of riot in a Sentence

Noun The news about the election caused a riot in the city. A lot of property was damaged in the recent riots. The woods are a riot of color in the autumn. The movie was an absolute riot. Verb Students rioted after their team lost the football game.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But the Dublin riots and subsequent protests have cast the spotlight on the emergence of a new right-wing strain of politics and its amplification on social media. Caolán Magee, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 The pair publicly split after the 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, where supporters of the former president tried to prevent Congress from certifying Biden's win. The Courier-Journal, 6 Mar. 2024 The decision by social media platforms to banish him after the Jan. 6 riot has meant that his all-capital-letters screeds are now confined to his Truth Social website. Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 The Supreme Court has restored Donald Trump to 2024 presidential primary ballots, rejecting state attempts to hold the Republican former president accountable for the Capitol riot. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 5 Mar. 2024 Police motorcades had to calm riots outside overcapacity shows. Tracy Kawalik, SPIN, 5 Mar. 2024 In August, Trump was indicted on four criminal counts by a federal grand jury investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and other efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 While the song played, a huge screen showed scenes of the riot at the Capitol. Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Rather than fade from prominence after the Capitol riot, Trump continued to assert his control over the party, and finds himself on a clear glidepath to the Republican nomination. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
After Bolsonaro lost that election by a narrow margin to leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his supporters rioted and broke into government buildings in Brasilia on January 8, 2023. Kareem El Damanhoury and Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 Not to mention the threat of violence that has loomed over U.S. politics since Mr. Trump’s supporters rioted at the Capitol. Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 People from the north were three times as likely to riot. Michael S. Rosenwald, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023 Tuesday's unanimous ruling is the second time since December that judges have held that Trump can be prosecuted for actions undertaken while in the White House and in the run-up to Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters rioted at the U.S. Capitol. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 7 Feb. 2024 The court's decision to grant the case came just days after Trump appealed the decision of Colorado's top court, which had ruled that Trump was not eligible for another term because of his role in ginning up a mob on Jan. 6, 2021 that rioted at the U.S. Capitol. John Fritze, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2024 Pros: Far-right voters would be thrilled by the partnership, and potentially ready to riot again if Trump loses in November. Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024 Trump's loss in 2020 resulted in his supporters rioting at the U.S. Capitol, and a charge of insurrection led to his second impeachment, for which he was acquitted by the Senate. Lisa Mascaro The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 24 Dec. 2023 Authorities and the country’s leadership condemned opportunists who used the attack as an excuse to riot and destroy public property. Bradford Betz, Fox News, 29 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'riot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French riote rash action, noise, disorder

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of riot was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near riot

Cite this Entry

“Riot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riot. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

riot

1 of 2 noun
ri·​ot ˈrī-ət How to pronounce riot (audio)
1
: public violence, disturbance, or disorder
2
: a varied display of color
3
: something or someone very funny

riot

2 of 2 verb
: to create or take part in a riot
rioter noun

Legal Definition

riot

1 of 2 noun
ri·​ot
: 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

riot

2 of 2 intransitive verb
: to create or engage in a riot
rioter noun

More from Merriam-Webster on riot

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!