roared; roaring; roars
1
a
: to make the loud sound of a wild animal
b
: to make a long, loud sound
sirens roaring
The engine roared back to life. [=made the loud sound of an engine and began running well]
—sometimes used figurativelyHer career suddenly roared back to life.
c
: to sing or shout with full force
The fans roared when their team scored.
2
a
: to make or emit a loud confused sound (such as background reverberation or rumbling)
b
: to laugh loudly
3
a
: to be boisterous or disorderly
b
: to proceed or rush with great noise or commotion
The truck roared away/off.
—sometimes used figurativelyThe team came roaring back in the last quarter to win the game.
4
: to make a loud noise during inhalation (such as that of a horse affected with roaring)
1
: to utter or proclaim with a roar
"Watch out!" he roared.
—often used with outThe sergeant roared out orders.
2
: to cause to roar
roaring their engines
1
: the deep cry of a wild animal (such as a lion)
2
: a loud deep cry (as of pain or anger)
3
: a loud continuous confused sound
the roar of the crowd
4
: a boisterous outcry
Examples of roar in a Sentence
Verb
We heard a lion roar in the distance.
The joke got the crowd roaring.
The crowd roared its approval.
She roared at him for being late.
Noun
the roar of the airplane engines
the roar of the river
Recent Examples on the Web
Trevor Bach, Dallas Morning News, 10 Jan. 2026
Like a puck zipping into a net at warp speed as the home crowd roars, Heated Rivalry has quickly and fiercely become one of the biggest surprise hits in recent memory.
—Jessica Derschowitz, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
New Atlas, 6 Jan. 2026
The people want to see Varang’s fierce roars!
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for roar
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Verb
While no report was available for October because of the federal government shutdown, the November data from the TWC suggests that ― after roaring for years ― Texas’ economic growth has slowed.
—Noun
An onboard synthesizer manipulates a small set of core sounds to mimic everything from the roar of a jet plane to the flushing of a toilet through a little speaker in the Brick.
—Cite this Entry
“Roar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roar. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Kids Definition
roar
1 of 2 verb
ˈrō(ə)r 
ˈrȯ(ə)r
1
: to utter a long full loud sound
the lion roared
2
: to laugh loudly
3
: to say with a roar
roarer
noun
ˈrōr-ər,
ˈrȯr-
roar
2 of 2 noun1
a
: the deep loud cry of a wild animal (as a lion)
b
: a loud deep cry or shout
2
: a loud confused sound
the roar of the crowd
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