rage

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: violent and uncontrolled anger
b
: a fit of violent wrath
c
archaic : insanity
2
: violent action (as of wind or sea)
3
: an intense feeling : passion
4
: a fad pursued with intense enthusiasm
was all the rage

rage

2 of 2

verb

raged; raging

intransitive verb

1
: to be in a rage
2
: to be in tumult
3
: to prevail uncontrollably
Choose the Right Synonym for rage

anger, ire, rage, fury, indignation, wrath mean an intense emotional state induced by displeasure.

anger, the most general term, names the reaction but by itself does not convey cause or intensity.

tried to hide his anger

ire, more frequent in literary contexts, suggests an intense anger, often with an evident display of feeling.

cheeks flushed with ire

rage and fury suggest loss of self-control from violence of emotion.

shook with rage
could not contain his fury

indignation stresses righteous anger at what one considers unfair, mean, or shameful.

a comment that caused general indignation

wrath is likely to suggest a desire or intent to punish or get revenge.

I feared her wrath if I was discovered

fashion, style, mode, vogue, fad, rage, craze mean the usage accepted by those who want to be up-to-date.

fashion is the most general term and applies to any way of dressing, behaving, writing, or performing that is favored at any one time or place.

the current fashion

style often implies a distinctive fashion adopted by people of taste.

a media baron used to traveling in style

mode suggests the fashion of the moment among those anxious to appear elegant and sophisticated.

slim bodies are the mode at this resort

vogue stresses the wide acceptance of a fashion.

short skirts are back in vogue

fad suggests caprice in taking up or in dropping a fashion.

last year's fad is over

rage and craze stress intense enthusiasm in adopting a fad.

Cajun food was the rage nearly everywhere for a time
crossword puzzles once seemed just a passing craze but have lasted

Examples of rage in a Sentence

Noun Her note to him was full of rage. He was shaking with rage. She was seized by a murderous rage. His rages rarely last more than a few minutes. Verb She raged about the injustice of their decision. The manager raged at the umpire. A storm was raging outside, but we were warm and comfortable indoors. The fire raged for hours. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Gaza pummeled by Israeli strikes as hostage release deal set for Friday On social media, at cafes and in nearly every regional publication, Arabs express a blend of despair and rage toward the American reaction to Palestinian suffering. Mohamad El Chamaa, Washington Post, 23 Nov. 2023 Its glimmers of comic rage and generous helpings of battlefield carnage, though patchily entertaining on their own, never coalesce into a coherent reason for being. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2023 Jersey, who’s white, has called the cops on Knuck, and Ali is sick with rage at her mother and dread for her lover. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2023 Erykah Badu’s Life in Looks Features a Powerful Array of Black and African Designers ©Amazon/Courtesy Everett Collection With ’90s fashion all the rage, Fennell made a conscious decision to move Saltburn closer to present day, beginning the film in the fall of 2006. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 17 Nov. 2023 Prosecutors said Armstrong, 35, gunned down the 25-year-old Wilson in a jealous rage. CBS News, 17 Nov. 2023 Gravediggers are in high demand across Gaza as the war rages, but danger and dwindling supplies hamper their work. Yasmine Salam, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2023 Human bodies, on the other hand, tend to store up rage and grief and panic like a pressure cooker. Rachel Sherman Lanna Apisukh, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023 The joy of anger Anger is often shunned as a dangerous and disruptive emotion but, according to a new study in the Journal of Personality and Psychology, rage can actually be a strong motivator for work. Byeamon Barrett, Fortune, 10 Nov. 2023
Verb
As the war rages on, the sympathy of some Americans appears to be shifting from Israel to the Palestinians in Gaza. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 24 Nov. 2023 Joséphine asks Napoleon as the decadent party rages on behind them. Nathan Smith, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2023 The source of the strike on the Indonesian Hospital could not be independently verified, because heavy fighting raged around it. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 21 Nov. 2023 As storms raged overnight, many of those outside the warehouse who had been sheltering in tents lost them to the wind. Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023 The street-by-street battles over the posters have turned into a cultural flashpoint in the U.S. as the war between Israel and Hamas rages with no end in sight. Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2023 The militants also kidnapped 240 people, mostly Israeli citizens, triggering a war that has raged for the past month. Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2023 Meanwhile, gunfire and explosions raged Monday around Gaza City's main hospital, Shifa, which has been encircled by Israeli troops for days. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 14 Nov. 2023 So why do people rage over ExxonMobil’s profits, but say absolutely nothing about Google’s? Robert Rapier, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rage.' 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, from Late Latin rabia, from Latin rabies rage, madness, from rabere to be mad; akin to Sanskrit rabhas violence

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rage was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near rage

Cite this Entry

“Rage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rage. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

rage

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: very strong and uncontrolled anger
b
: a fit of violent anger
2
: violent action (as of wind or sea)
3
: fad
the current rage

rage

2 of 2 verb
raged; raging
1
: to be in a rage
2
: to continue out of control
the fire raged for hours

Medical Definition

rage

noun
: violent and uncontrolled anger

More from Merriam-Webster on rage

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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