roister

1 of 2

noun

rois·​ter ˈrȯi-stər How to pronounce roister (audio)
archaic
: one that roisters : roisterer

roister

2 of 2

verb

roistered; roistering ˈrȯi-st(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce roister (audio)

intransitive verb

: to engage in noisy revelry : carouse
dressed and ready for a roistering night in townSherwood Anderson
roisterer noun
roisterous 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.

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

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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of roister was in 1549

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Dictionary Entries Near roister

Cite this Entry

“Roister.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roister. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

roister

verb
rois·​ter
ˈrȯi-stər
roistered; roistering
-st(ə-)riŋ
: to have a noisy good time
roisterer
-stər-ər
noun
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