roar

From Middle English roren, raren, from Old English rārian (“to roar; wail; lament”), from Proto-West Germanic *rairōn, from Proto-Germanic *rairōną (“to bellow; roar”), from Proto-Indo-European *rey- (“to shout; bellow; yell; bark”), perhaps of imitative origin.

Cognate with Saterland Frisian roorje (“to roar”), German röhren (“to roar”).

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: rô, IPA^(key): /ɹɔː/
• (General American) enPR: rôr, IPA^(key): /ɹɔɹ/
• (rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) enPR: rōr, IPA^(key): /ɹo(ː)ɹ/
• (non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /ɹoə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)
• Homophone: raw (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger)

roar (third-person singular simple present roars, present participle roaring, simple past and past participle roared)

1. (intransitive) To make a loud, deep cry, especially from pain, anger, or other strong emotion.
   • a. 1701 (date written), John Dryden, “The First Book of Homer’s Ilias”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume IV, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, →OCLC, page 434:

     Sole on the barren ſands the ſuff'ring chief / Roar'd out for anguiſh, and indulg'd his grief.

2. To laugh in a particularly loud manner.

   The audience roared at his jokes.

3. Of animals (especially a lion), to make a loud deep noise.

   The lioness roared to scare off the hyenas.

   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, , stanzas 6-7, page 14:

     Roaring bulls he would him make to tame.

4. Generally, of inanimate objects etc., to make a loud resounding noise.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     The brazen throat of war had ceased to roar.

   • [1716], [John] Gay, “(please specify the page number(s))”, in Trivia: Or, The Art of Walking the Streets of London, London: […] Bernard Lintott, […], →OCLC:

     How oft I crossed where carts and coaches roar.

5. (figuratively) To proceed vigorously.
   • 2011 January 25, Phil McNulty, “Blackpool 2-3 Man Utd”, in BBC:

     United's attempt to extend their unbeaten league sequence to 23 games this season looked to be in shreds as the Seasiders - managed by Ian Holloway - roared into a fully deserved two-goal lead at the interval.

6. (transitive) To cry aloud; to proclaim loudly.
   • 1639, John Ford, The Lady's Trial:

     This last action will roar thy infamy.

   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

     I made a speaking trumpet of my hands and commenced to whoop “Ahoy!” and “Hello!” at the top of my lungs. […] The Colonel woke up, and, after asking what in brimstone was the matter, opened his mouth and roared “Hi!” and “Hello!” like the bull of Bashan.

7. To be boisterous; to be disorderly.
   • 1724, Gilbert Burnet, History of My Own Time:

     It was a mad, roaring time, full of extravagance.

8. To make a loud noise in breathing, as horses do when they have a certain disease.
9. (British Yorkshire, North Midlands, informal) To cry.
   • 1886, James Orchard Halliwell, “Third Class: Tales: LX”, in The Nursery Rhymes of England:

     Tom, Tom, the piper's son,
     Stole a pig, and away he run!
     The pig was eat, and Tom was beat,
     And Tom went roaring down the street.

roar (plural roars)

1. A long, loud, deep shout, as of rage or laughter, made with the mouth wide open.
2. The cry of the lion.
   • 1900 May 17, L[yman] Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.: Geo[rge] M[elvin] Hill Co., →OCLC:

     The Winkies were not a brave people, but they had to do as they were told. So they marched away until they came near to Dorothy. Then the Lion gave a great roar and sprang towards them, and the poor Winkies were so frightened that they ran back as fast as they could.

3. The deep cry of the bull.
4. A loud resounding noise.

   the roar of a motorbike

   • 1944, Ernie Pyle, Brave Men, University of Nebraska Press (2001), page 107:

     "Those lovely valleys and mountains were filled throughout the day and night with the roar of heavy shooting."

5. A show of strength or character.

• Raro, orra

roar

1. present indicative of roa