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

The Treasury chief spoke a day after US equities capped the biggest weekly selloff since the March 2023 regional banking crisis — roiled by a weaker-than-expected gain in payrolls that stoked concern the Federal Reserve will prove late to begin lowering interest rates. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2024

That material is tar, and the work’s plain materials speak to entire swaths of the world roiled by conflict. —Gameli Hamelo, ARTnews.com, 6 Sep. 2024

By the time the purchase closed in 2022, the sale price had been revised one third lower, to $800 million, as the high cost of data rights roiled the sports betting sector generally. —Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 14 Aug. 2024

The fight to make Metro’s buses and trains safer was roiled by infighting between Stephanie Wiggins, the agency’s top executive, and Gina Osborn, the transit system’s onetime head of security. —Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 10 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