roared; roaring; roars
1
a
: to make the loud sound of a wild animal
b
: to make a long, loud sound
sirens roaring
The engine roared back to life. [=made the loud sound of an engine and began running well]
—sometimes used figurativelyHer career suddenly roared back to life.
c
: to sing or shout with full force
The fans roared when their team scored.
2
a
: to make or emit a loud confused sound (such as background reverberation or rumbling)
b
: to laugh loudly
3
a
: to be boisterous or disorderly
b
: to proceed or rush with great noise or commotion
The truck roared away/off.
—sometimes used figurativelyThe team came roaring back in the last quarter to win the game.
4
: to make a loud noise during inhalation (such as that of a horse affected with roaring)
1
: to utter or proclaim with a roar
"Watch out!" he roared.
—often used with outThe sergeant roared out orders.
2
: to cause to roar
roaring their engines
1
: the deep cry of a wild animal (such as a lion)
2
: a loud deep cry (as of pain or anger)
3
: a loud continuous confused sound
the roar of the crowd
4
: a boisterous outcry
Examples of roar in a Sentence
Verb
We heard a lion roar in the distance.
The joke got the crowd roaring.
The crowd roared its approval.
She roared at him for being late.
Noun
the roar of the airplane engines
the roar of the river
Recent Examples on the Web
Pete Hammond, Deadline, 4 June 2026
Firefighters arrived in just two minutes to find roaring flames and thick, black smoke.
—Tony Aiello, CBS News, 4 June 2026
Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2026
As Tottenham’s Italian head coach turned towards the crowd and let out a roar of sheer jubilation, substitute goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario jumped on his back.
—Jay Harris, New York Times, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for roar
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Verb
Even the guy next to me who couldn’t stop roaring for the first 20 minutes or so finally stopped, perhaps realizing not much of this is that funny.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 4 June 2026
Firefighters arrived in just two minutes to find roaring flames and thick, black smoke.
—Tony Aiello, CBS News, 4 June 2026
Noun
Fudd got a loud roar of applause upon being introduced and seemingly played with a spark, starting the game off aggressively in the first half.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2026
As Tottenham’s Italian head coach turned towards the crowd and let out a roar of sheer jubilation, substitute goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario jumped on his back.
—Jay Harris, New York Times, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for roar
Cite this Entry
“Roar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roar. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
roar
1 of 2 verb
ˈrō(ə)r 
ˈrȯ(ə)r
1
: to utter a long full loud sound
the lion roared
2
: to laugh loudly
3
: to say with a roar
roarer
noun
ˈrōr-ər,
ˈrȯr-
roar
2 of 2 noun1
a
: the deep loud cry of a wild animal (as a lion)
b
: a loud deep cry or shout
2
: a loud confused sound
the roar of the crowd
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