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the crown prince was reminded that even the rabble of the realm deserved his attention and compassion
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rabble.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Rabble has been with the English language since its appearance in Middle English (as "rabel") in the late 1300s. It may have come from the Middle English verb "rabel" which meant "to babble." (Despite the similarity in sound and meaning, however, "babble" and "rabble" are unrelated.) The verb "rabel" is related to Middle Dutch "rabbelen" and Low German rabbeln, meaning "to chatter." So how do we get from babbling to crowds of people? The connection may be the idea of confusion. "Rabble," in its earliest uses could not only indicate a pack of animals, swarm of insects, or a confused collection of things, but could also indicate a confused or meaningless string of words.
First Known Use: 15th century
in the meaning defined at sense 2a
See Words from the same yearproletariat, ragtag and bobtail, riffraff, rout, scum, trash;
aristocracy, elite, gentry, society, upper class, upper crust;
commoners, commons, herd, hoi polloi, masses, millions, mob, multitude, people, plebeians, populace, public, rank and file;
1644
: a large group of loud people who could become violent
the rabble : ordinary or common people who do not have a lot of money, power, or social status
See words that rhyme with rabble Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rabble Spanish Central: Translation of rabble Nglish: Translation of rabble for Spanish speakers
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