roister

1 of 2

noun

rois·​ter ˈrȯi-stər 

archaic

: one that roisters : roisterer

roister

2 of 2

verb

roistered; roistering ˈrȯi-st(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

: to engage in noisy revelry : carouse

dressed and ready for a roistering night in town

—Sherwood Anderson

roisterer

ˈrȯi-stər-ər 

noun

roisterous

ˈrȯi-st(ə-)rəs 

adjective

roisterously adverb

Did you know?

Roisterer vs Hooliganism

Roister is related to French ruste, meaning "rude" or "rough." That word comes from the fairly neutral Latin rusticus, meaning "rural." Originally, the English verb was simply roist, and one who roisted was a roister. Those words are no longer used; instead, we have the verb roister, and the corresponding noun roisterer.

Synonyms

Verb

• binge
• birl [chiefly Scottish]
• carouse
• revel
• wassail

Examples of roister in a Sentence

Verb

the earl's wastrel son had spent the best part of his youth roistering and gambling

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

One of his sons, Thomas (Dean-Charles Chapman), though hardly old enough to be in long pants, wears shining armor, while the other son, Hal (Timothée Chalamet), is a slouch who wastes his life in roistering. —Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French rustre lout, alteration of ruste, from ruste, adjective, rude, rough, from Latin rusticus rural — more at rustic

First Known Use

Noun

1549, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1663, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

roister

verb

rois·​ter

ˈrȯi-stər

roistered; roistering

-st(ə-)riŋ

: to have a noisy good time

roisterer

-stər-ər

noun