roil

verb

ˈrȯi(-ə)l 

 transitive sense 2 is also  ˈrī(-ə)l

roiled; roiling; roils

transitive verb

1

a

: to make turbid by stirring up the sediment or dregs of

b

: to stir up : disturb, disorder

2

: rile sense 1

intransitive verb

: to move turbulently : be in a state of turbulence or agitation

conflicting emotions roiling inside her

Synonyms

• boil
• churn
• moil
• seethe

Examples of roil in a Sentence

Financial markets have been roiled by the banking crisis.

the waters of the gulf tossed and roiled as the hurricane surged toward the shore

Recent Examples on the Web

Already, Trump and Vance are seizing on protests that roiled Minneapolis in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd, some of which saw looting, arson and other violence, and a 1995 drunken driving arrest of Walz is again making the rounds on social media. —Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2024

Further roiling global markets is unusual currency trading out of Japan. —Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2024

Experts aren't worried yet, but the jobless rate in Friday’s report could roil stocks and signal further weakening ahead in an already slowing labor market. —Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 2 Aug. 2024

The Ivy League school in upper Manhattan was roiled this year by student demonstrations, culminating in scenes of police officers carrying zip ties and riot shields storming a building that had been occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters. —Michael R. Sisak and Philip Marcelo, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

roil

verb

ˈrȯi(ə)l 

 sense 2 is also  ˈrī(ə)l

1

: to make cloudy or muddy by stirring up

roil the water of a brook

2

: to rouse the anger of