SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

roaring boy

noun

Definition of roaring boy

: a noisy street bully especially of Elizabethan and Jacobean England who intimidated passersby

Circa 1590

First Known Use of roaring boy

circa 1590

Learn More about roaring boy

See words that rhyme with roaring boy

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up roaring boy? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

concatenate

play

to link together in a series or chain

Words at Play

alt-5926e94cc0e45

'Climate' Change

No denying this word's history

alt-5925b73b3a62e

'Author' is a Verb

Beyond the mere act of writing

alt-592708149cf54

Don't Catch 'Flack' for Using 'Flak'

How a word for antiaircraft guns came to refer to PR pro

Plural Words With Multiple Spellings

Multiple spellings for "multiple" words.

Ask the Editors

Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

Winning Words from Scripps Spelling Bee Quiz

Can you outdo past winners of the Spelling Bee?

Take the quiz

peter-bruegel-tower-of-babel-painting

Where in the World? A Quiz

Do you know what languages these words come from?

Take the quiz

True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game