roiled; roiling; roils
1
2
: 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
Trump spent the first half of 2025 roiling Mexico’s economy with scattershot demands.
—
Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2025
The question of Reynolds' behavior and whether university officials covered it up have roiled Truett McConnell, a conservative 3,100-student college that normally sees little public protest.
—CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
That goal, and the man, remain at the center of a dispute that still roils Santa Ana a year after Rodriguez’s death.
—Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025
The feel-good pop music gala that draws more than 100 million viewers every year has been roiled by the war in Gaza for the past two years.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for roil
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Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2025
The question of Reynolds' behavior and whether university officials covered it up have roiled Truett McConnell, a conservative 3,100-student college that normally sees little public protest.
—CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
That goal, and the man, remain at the center of a dispute that still roils Santa Ana a year after Rodriguez’s death.
—Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025
The feel-good pop music gala that draws more than 100 million viewers every year has been roiled by the war in Gaza for the past two years.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for roil
Cite this Entry
“Roil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roil. Accessed 14 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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