Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The loud deep cry of a wild animal, especially a lion or other wild cat.
  • noun A loud, deep, prolonged sound or cry, as of a person in distress or rage.
  • noun A loud prolonged noise, such as that produced by waves.
  • noun A loud burst of laughter.
  • intransitive verb To produce or utter a roar.
  • intransitive verb To laugh loudly or excitedly.
  • intransitive verb To make or produce a loud noise or din.
  • intransitive verb To move while making a loud noise.
  • intransitive verb To breathe with a rasping sound. Used of a horse.
  • intransitive verb To utter or express loudly. synonym: yell.
  • intransitive verb To put, bring, or force into a specified state by roaring.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To cry with a full, loud, continued sound; bellow, as a beast.
  • To cry aloud, as in distress or anger.
  • To make a loud, continued, confused sound, as winds, waves, a multitude of people shouting together, etc.; give out a full, deep sound; resound.
  • To laugh out loudly and continuously; guffaw.
  • To behave in a riotous and bullying manner.
  • To make a loud noise in breathing, as horses in a specific disease. See roaring, n., 2.
  • Synonyms and To bawl, howl, yell.
  • To boom, resound, thunder, peal.
  • To cry aloud; proclaim with loud noise; utter in a roar; shout: as, to roar out one's name.
  • noun A full, loud, and deep cry, as of the larger beasts.
  • noun A loud, continued, confused sound; a clamor; tumult; uproar.
  • noun The loud, impassioned cry of a person in distress, pain, anger, or the like; also, a boisterous outcry of joy or mirth: as, a roar of laughter.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The deep, loud cry of a wild beast.
  • noun The cry of one in pain, distress, anger, or the like.
  • noun A loud, continuous, and confused sound.
  • noun A boisterous outcry or shouting, as in mirth.
  • transitive verb To cry aloud; to proclaim loudly.
  • intransitive verb To cry with a full, loud, continued sound.
  • intransitive verb To bellow, or utter a deep, loud cry, as a lion or other beast.
  • intransitive verb To cry loudly, as in pain, distress, or anger.
  • intransitive verb To make a loud, confused sound, as winds, waves, passing vehicles, a crowd of persons when shouting together, or the like.
  • intransitive verb To be boisterous; to be disorderly.
  • intransitive verb To laugh out loudly and continuously.
  • intransitive verb To make a loud noise in breathing, as horses having a certain disease. See Roaring, 2.
  • intransitive verb a roaring, noisy fellow; -- name given, at the latter end Queen Elizabeth's reign, to the riotous fellows who raised disturbances in the street.
  • intransitive verb (Naut.) a sailor's name for the stormy tract of ocean between 40° and 50° north latitude.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To make a loud, deep cry, especially from pain, anger, or other strong emotion.
  • verb To laugh in a particularly loud manner.
  • verb Of animals (especially the lion), to make a loud deep noise.
  • verb Generally, of inanimate objects etc., to make a loud resounding noise.
  • noun A long, loud, deep shout made with the mouth wide open.
  • noun The cry of the lion.
  • noun The deep cry of the bull.
  • noun A loud sound as of a motorbike or a similar engine.
  • noun A show of strength or character.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb make a loud noise, as of animal
  • verb laugh unrestrainedly and heartily
  • verb make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English roren, to roar, from Old English rārian.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Old English rārian, from Germanic. Cognate with German röhren.

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Examples

Comments

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  • As an acronym found in nightclub advertisements, stands for Right Of Admission Reserved.

    February 26, 2008

  • He's nibbling the noodles,

    He's munching the rice,

    He's slurping the soda,

    He's licking the ice.

    And he lets out a roar

    If you open the door.

    And it gives me a scare

    To know he's in there—

    That polary bear

    In our Fridgitydaire.

    - Shel Silverstein, 'Bear In There'.

    October 12, 2009

  • See also rore.

    August 6, 2021