roil

verb

ˈrȯi(-ə)l How to pronounce roil (audio)
 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

intransitive verb

: to move turbulently : be in a state of turbulence or agitation
conflicting emotions roiling inside her

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 The front lawn of their home teemed with a roiling carpet of 300 guinea pigs, all carefully labeled, numbered, and partitioned behind wire fencing. Rachel Lance, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2024 Hundreds of pro-Palestinian students doubled down on protests at Pomona College Thursday as the elite liberal arts campus is roiled by an intensifying Israel divestment campaign that even harsh disciplinary action against protesters has not deterred. Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024 The 11-member panel was tasked by LBJ with the mission of getting to the root causes of the rebellions that roiled the nation and finding what could be done to stop them from happening again. Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 9 Apr. 2024 In recent years, school districts and state legislatures across the U.S. have been roiled by fierce debates over what reading materials are appropriate for kids and teenagers. Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 8 Apr. 2024 That decision has roiled oil markets around the world. Lucia Kassai, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2024 One of the key reasons that workers sought to organize in the first place was the current wave of cost cuts roiling the media business, as well as the threat of AI. Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2024 The 2010s saw trust in government reach its lowest point as wages stagnated, financial crises rocked the European Union, and corruption roiled developing nations. Jacob Turcotte, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Mar. 2024 Still, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., did address the fractures that have roiled Republicans. Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'roil.' 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

origin unknown

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of roil was in 1590

Dictionary Entries Near roil

Cite this Entry

“Roil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roil. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

roil

verb
ˈrȯi(ə)l How to pronounce roil (audio)
 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

More from Merriam-Webster on roil

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