raved; raving
1
a
: to talk irrationally in or as if in delirium
b
: to speak out wildly
c
: to talk with extreme enthusiasm
raved about its beauty
2
: to move or advance violently : storm
… the iced gusts still rave and beat …—
John Keats
John Keats
: to utter in madness or frenzy
1
: an act or instance of raving
2
: an extravagantly favorable criticism
the play received the critics' raves
3
: a large overnight dance party featuring techno music and usually involving the taking of mind-altering drugs
Examples of rave in a Sentence
Verb
“It's his best performance yet,” raved one movie critic.
The guy on the corner was raving like a madman.
The coach ranted and raved at the referee.
Noun
Her review of the movie was a rave.
the books have received even more raves from parents than from the kids they were written for
Recent Examples on the Web
Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2026
Those are just a few of the questions that audience members are ranting and raving their way through while exiting the Hayes Theater.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026
Katie Bain, Billboard, 31 Mar. 2026
Just about everything surrounding the film is controversial except Zendaya’s performance, which is drawing near-universal raves.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rave
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Scouts raved about his fastball — which sat 92-94 mph at the time — and his improving curveball and changeup combination.
—Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2026
Those are just a few of the questions that audience members are ranting and raving their way through while exiting the Hayes Theater.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026
Noun
The lineup also includes British rave duo Prospa, bass producer LYNY, British experimental artist Rohaan, garage artist RoTaiki Nulight, Experts Only regular Devault, peaktime producer Dreya V, Israeli artist OMRI.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 31 Mar. 2026
Just about everything surrounding the film is controversial except Zendaya’s performance, which is drawing near-universal raves.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rave
Cite this Entry
“Rave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rave. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rave
1 of 2 verb
raved; raving
1
: to talk wildly or irrationally
2
: to talk with great enthusiasm
raved about the new play
raver
noun
rave
2 of 2 noun
: a statement of enthusiastic praise
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
