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 Compounding problems In Europe, energy inflation concerns have roiled major economies. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026 The conflict, and ensuing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, roiled oil markets around the globe. — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 Producing has always been an uphill climb, and it has been made steeper as the business roils with cutbacks and contraction and the infiltration of AI. — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026 Modern Times in Minneapolis removed prices from its menu after unrest from Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests and shootings this year roiled the city. — Whitney Eulich, Christian Science Monitor, 29 Aug. 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
  • Using huge infrared telescopes that can see through that veil of dust, astronomers have been able to watch some of these stars swirling around the black hole.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Bethany Donaphin Head of WNBA league operations As rumors swirled about Engelbert’s enture, insiders around the league have been mentioning Donaphin as a potential replacement.
    — Chantel Jennings, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of swirl
Verb
  • But Trump’s solution, to import 300,000 metric tons of beef and sell it at a reduced cost, angered American ranchers.
    — Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Rebecca regrets angering Matthijs (Matteo van der Grijn) after putting his daughter in the middle of a heated discussion around the possibility of Matthijs moving to London.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of anger
Verb
  • Somehow, beneath the surface of some cheerful Schubert song, anxiety and sadness seem to be churning.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • In contrast, back-to-back storms have churned across the eastern Pacific since July, with 14 named storms and five hurricanes so far in the eastern Pacific hurricane season.
    — Dan Peck, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of churn
Verb
  • The targeting designation infuriated KU coach Lance Leipold, who was asked about the flag after a game in which the defense held the Sharks to 146 yards and 11 first downs.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The White House’s abrupt decision last week to ease tariffs on 300,000 metric tons — more than 660 million pounds — of foreign beef imports has infuriated American cattle ranchers and congressional Republicans alike.
    — Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of infuriate
Verb
  • Waiting for Lefty The actor Steven Pasquale makes his directing debut with this revival of Clifford Odets’s 1935 play made famous by the Group Theatre, about the boiling tensions of a Depression-era New York cabdrivers’ strike.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Consider boiling your water for at least one to three minutes, depending on your altitude, to purify it.
    — Elaine Reno, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of boil
Verb
  • Marie-Louise is enraged one minute, subservient the next, bullying the staff while throwing banquets for Nazi officials.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The hiring of the Catalan content creator, however, has only served to enrage the public, rather than enticing them to watch the race.
    — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of enrage
Verb
  • Villains dating hot blondes has the traditional golf journalists seething while SeanJo, myself and Nightcaps legend Zach Dean sit back and just smile.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
  • In the very human-scale role of Chef, all that glamour and pageantry seethes just beneath the skin.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of seethe
Verb
  • What annoyed me the most, though, was the way the meditation teachers talked, which tended toward New Age–isms in passive voice.
    — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Not even Jeff being annoyed at Kasandra’s drunkenness can ruin the mood.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 1 Sep. 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 14 Sep. 2026.

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