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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

riot.

A tumultuous disturbance of the public peace by a large group of people, often involving violence or damage to property.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈɹaɪ.ət//ˈɹaɪ.ɪt/
  1. A tumultuous disturbance of the public peace by a large group of people, often involving violence or damage to property.

    countable · uncountable
    The protests began peacefully but turned into riots after several days.
  2. A wide and unconstrained variety.

    countable · figuratively · uncountable
    In summer this flower garden is a riot of colour.
  3. A humorous or entertaining event or person.

    colloquial · uncountable
  4. Wanton or unrestrained behavior or emotion.

    countable · uncountable
  5. Excessive and expensive feasting; wild and loose festivity; revelry.

    countable · obsolete · uncountable
Where this word comes from

From Middle English riot (“debauched living, dissipation”), from Old French riote (“debate”), from rioter (“to quarrel”), perhaps related to riboter or from Latin rugio (“to roar”). Compare French riotte and Occitan riòta.

verb/ˈɹaɪ.ət//ˈɹaɪ.ɪt/
  1. To create or take part in a riot; to raise an uproar or sedition.

    intransitive
    The nuclear protesters rioted outside the military base.
  2. To act in an unrestrained or wanton manner; to indulge in excess of feasting, luxury, etc.

    intransitive · obsolete
  3. To cause to riot; to throw into a tumult.

    transitive
  4. To annoy.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

From Middle English riot (“debauched living, dissipation”), from Old French riote (“debate”), from rioter (“to quarrel”), perhaps related to riboter or from Latin rugio (“to roar”). Compare French riotte and Occitan riòta.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.