rowdy

1 of 2

adjective

row·​dy ˈrau̇-dē How to pronounce rowdy (audio)
rowdier; rowdiest
: coarse or boisterous in behavior : rough
also : characterized by such behavior
rowdy local bars
rowdily adverb
rowdiness noun
rowdyish adjective

rowdy

2 of 2

noun

plural rowdies
: a rowdy person : tough

Examples of rowdy in a Sentence

Adjective a rowdy game of basketball a rowdy but good-natured group of teenagers Noun rowdies had overtaken the neighborhood and were threatening people on the street
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Directed by Doug Liman, the new Road House is a reimagining of the one in which late actor Swayze played a hard-hitting bouncer responsible for laying down the law at a rowdy bar. Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024 All of them hark back to a rowdy, rough-and-tumble time when movies were content to be vessels of visceral wish fulfillment and mindless, instantly disposable escapism. Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 Walsh—born in 1887, the year the action begins—films rowdy times rowdily, delighting in the teeming cast’s gimcrack manners and in the raffish early days of the modern sports business. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024 Escape the rowdy crowds at Sage restaurant’s rooftop bar, on top of a 1926 building that once housed the Sarasota Times newspaper. Valeriya Safronova, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Every extra possession gives Tech another chance to create separation and let a rowdy home crowd influence the game. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024 He’s talked about congressional term limits, making retail theft a felony and cracking down on rowdy spring breakers. Lori Rozsa, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 After Dalton takes the job and begins intimidating some of the bar's rowdy clients, he and its owner are threatened by a group of men wanting to take control of the property. Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 The result was a most unusual State of the Union—partisan, shouty, and even, at times, a bit rowdy. Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
The Horned Frogs have more talent and experience than the Buffaloes but will have to battle the heightened elevation and the rowdy, Colorado home-field advantage. Dallas News, 31 Aug. 2022 Anna Kendrick, Michelle Yeoh, and Denzel Washington all got the same rowdy yet amiable energy. Vulture Editors, Vulture, 20 July 2022 Midnight Madness screenings had previously taken place at the Ryerson Theatre, an auditorium on a local college campus and the rowdy, school’s out vibes of the screenings made sense there. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2022 Parents, school resource officers and other law enforcement have helped identify young partiers who broke into an $8 million Gulf Coast home to throw a large, unauthorized rowdy party. Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 28 June 2022 Ronnie Hawkins, the rowdy rockabilly singer who was instrumental in the formation of the pioneering Americana group the Band, died on Sunday. Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2022 This year’s class of 29er trail bikes can handle the same rowdy riding as longer-travel machines, albeit with slightly slower speeds and more careful line choices. Josh Patterson, Outside Online, 23 May 2020 Houstonians are not likely to receive the worst of it, but strong winds and a blitz of rowdy thunderstorms could make things interesting for commuters over the next 24 hours. Dan Carson, Chron, 29 Mar. 2022 Acton was known for getting the crowd rowdy during key moments, especially when the Cardinals were playing rivals like Memphis or Kentucky and needed the inspiration to close out the game. Kala Kachmar, The Courier-Journal, 29 Mar. 2022

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

Adjective

perhaps irregular from row entry 5

First Known Use

Adjective

1832, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1865, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rowdy was in 1832

Dictionary Entries Near rowdy

Cite this Entry

“Rowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rowdy. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rowdy

1 of 2 adjective
row·​dy ˈrau̇d-ē How to pronounce rowdy (audio)
rowdier; rowdiest
: rough or loud in behavior
rowdiness noun

rowdy

2 of 2 noun
plural rowdies
: a rowdy person

More from Merriam-Webster on rowdy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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