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

a crisis roiling the stock market

2

: rile sense 1

intransitive verb

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

conflicting emotions roiling inside her

Synonyms of roil

• swirl
• churn
• boil
• 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

Smoke roiled the air, thick and black. —Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026

The Middle East conflict has roiled the global economy and left Americans grappling with sharply higher gas prices, a pickup in inflation and growing uncertainty about their finances. —Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026

Kennedy’s declaration has roiled gender-affirming programs nationwide. —Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026

Informed by models of oceans on Earth, California Institute of Technology geologists Abdallah Zaki and Michael Lamb studied topographic data of Mars taken by orbiters to find a flat band of land like a continental shelf, suggesting an ocean once roiled in the Martian northern hemisphere. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for roil

• boil
• broil
• coil
• foil
• oil
• soil
• spoil
• toil
• voile
• aerofoil
• cinquefoil
• hydrofoil

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