roil

verb

ˈrȯi(-ə)l How to pronounce roil (audio)
Definition of roilnext
1
as in to swirl
to be in a state of violent rolling motion the waters of the gulf tossed and roiled as the hurricane surged toward the shore

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to anger
to make angry the clerk's brusque refusal of her request roiled her enough to prompt a complaint to his supervisor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of roil Protests by high school students angry about dilapidated, understaffed schools have roiled France since mid-September. — John Leicester, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026 French bond yields have surged to their highest levels since the early 2000s, threatening to roil global financial markets. — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026 French budget crisis worsens amid student protests France could be on the precipice of a financial crisis, as escalating student protests roiled an already shaky bond market. — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026 The administration’s plan to allow more imports of foreign beef has particularly roiled the agriculture-rich state of Nebraska. — ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for roil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roil
  1. swirl
  2. anger
  3. churn
  4. infuriate
  5. boil
  6. enrage
  7. seethe
  8. annoy
Verb
  • The composition of these jets isn’t crystal clear, but scientists suspect electrons, positrons (the antimatter versions of electrons) and perhaps protons are pulled along swirling magnetic lines before being sent out from the black hole’s poles.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • As for the suites, the highlight is their private terraces, peaceful havens from which to admire, paradoxically, the urban whirlwind swirling below.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of swirl
Verb
  • Data center demand began driving up electric bills last year across a 13-state electricity grid stretching from Illinois to New Jersey and Maryland, angering ratepayers.
    — Marc Levy, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Indeed, the survey showed that use of the horn is the most common action when drivers consider another driver to be annoying or angering them.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of anger
Verb
  • Multiple temperature records have been shattered, and an intense marine heat wave has been churning since last December — making our typical high tides even higher — El Niño notwithstanding.
    — Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • If industrial mining machines churn up the seafloor, these delicate biological networks could collapse.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of churn
Verb
  • Trip isn’t the standout role, but Keery handles the character’s exasperated monologues with panache, turning self-defense and infuriated straight-talk into acts of exhilarating sanity.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Cummings said that in January 2021, a friend of Birchmore’s called Stoughton police and told a dispatcher about the illicit relationship, infuriating Farwell.
    — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of infuriate
Verb
  • Its stainless steel body can last for years of making pour-over coffee every morning or evening cups of hot tea, and the kettle also comes in handy to boil water fast for everyday recipes.
    — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Roast halves cut side down rather than boiling them, since roasting concentrates the sugars and cuts moisture.
    — Lauren Schuster, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of boil
Verb
  • The administration removed hundreds of trees from the East Potomac Golf Links over the weekend, enraging the judge.
    — Julia Boehning, The Hill, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Unbearably painful and enraging for the one, surely pretty darn awkward for the other.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of enrage
Verb
  • Audiences may justifiably seethe at how Sutskever’s safety-first mindset gets steamrolled by Altman’s slick accelerationism (as happened in real life).
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
  • So, expect Liverpool fans to be seething inside and outside of Anfield.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of seethe
Verb
  • Returning the sarcasm tends to cause the same problem, with two people annoyed instead of one.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Williams is annoyed and wants order while Kirke is hardly paying attention and lugs vases of flowers through her home.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of annoy

Browse Nearby Words

roguishness
roil
roiled
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Cite this Entry

“Roil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roil. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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