riot

English

Etymology

From Middle English riot (“debauched living, dissipation”), from Old French riote (“debate”), from rioter (“to quarrel”), perhaps related to riboter or from Latin rugio (“I roar”).

Compare French riotte and Occitan riòta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹaɪ.ət/
• (weak vowel merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɹaɪ.ɪt/
• Rhymes: -aɪət
• Homophone: ryot

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

Noun

riot (countable and uncountable, plural riots)

1. A tumultuous disturbance of the public peace by a large group of people, often involving violence or damage to property.

   The protests began peacefully but turned into riots after several days.

2. (figurative) A wide and unconstrained variety.

   In summer this flower garden is a riot of colour.

   • 1921, Edward Sapir, chapter VII, in Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech‎^[1]:

     The human world is contracting not only prospectively but to the backward-probing eye of culture-history. Nevertheless we are as yet far from able to reduce the riot of spoken languages to a small number of “stocks.”

3. (colloquial, uncountable) A humorous or entertaining event or person.
   • 1997, Daniel Clowes, “The First Time”, in Ghost World, Jonathan Cape, published 2000, →ISBN, page 34:

     Check this out! We have to get this! I can't believe all this stuff! This is a total riot!

4. Wanton or unrestrained behavior or emotion.
   • c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], page 93:

     For when his head-ſtrong Riot hath no Curbe,

5. (obsolete) Excessive and expensive feasting; wild and loose festivity; revelry.
   • 1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], (please specify |epistle=I to IV), London: Printed for J[ohn] Wilford, […], →OCLC:

     the lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day

Derived terms

• anti-riot
• laugh riot
• read someone the riot act
• riot act, Riot Act
• riot booster, riot boosting
• rioter
• riot gear
• riot girl
• riot grrl
• riot grrrl
• riot money
• riotous
• riot police
• riot shield
• riot stairs
• run riot
• Swing riot

 

Translations

wanton or unrestrained behavior

• Albanian: rrëmujë (sq) f
• Bulgarian: бунт (bg) m (bunt), метеж (bg) m (metež)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 暴動／暴动 (bou⁶ dung⁶)

  Mandarin: 暴亂／暴乱 (zh) (bàoluàn), 騷亂／骚乱 (zh) (sāoluàn), 騷動／骚动 (zh) (sāodòng), 暴動／暴动 (zh) (bàodòng)

• Finnish: hulina (fi), rähinä (fi)
• Galician: balbordo m, galloufa f, liorna f, barullo (gl) m, boria (gl) f, revolta f
• German: Aufruhr (de) m
• Hungarian: féktelenség (hu), tobzódás (hu)
• Japanese: 暴動 (ja) (bōdō)
• Macedonian: бунт m (bunt), ме́теж m (métež)
• Middle English: riot
• Occitan: riòta (oc) f, trebol (oc) m
• Portuguese: algazarra (pt) f
• Russian: бунт (ru) m (bunt), беспоря́дки (ru) m pl (besporjádki)
• Swedish: tumult (sv) n

tumultuous disturbance of public peace

• Albanian: trazirë (sq) f, rrëmujë (sq) f
• Arabic: شَغَب m (šaḡab)
• Armenian: խռովություն (hy) (xṙovutʻyun), ապստամբություն (hy) (apstambutʻyun)
• Azerbaijani: qiyam, iğtişaş (az)
• Basque: please add this translation if you can
• Belarusian: бунт m (bunt), мяце́ж m (mjacjéž), паўста́нне n (paŭstánnje), пагром m (pahróm)
• Bulgarian: бунт (bg) m (bunt), мете́ж (bg) m (metéž), въста́ние (bg) n (vǎstánie), разми́рица (bg) f (razmírica)
• Burmese: အဓိကရုဏ်း (a.dhi.ka.run:​)
• Catalan: avalot (ca) m, motí (ca) m, aldarull (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 暴亂／暴乱 (zh) (bàoluàn), 騷亂／骚乱 (zh) (sāoluàn), 騷動／骚动 (zh) (sāodòng)

• Czech: nepokoj (cs) m, neklid (cs) m, bitka f, vřava (cs) f
• Danish: optøjer, oprør n
• Dutch: rel (nl) m
• Esperanto: tumulto (eo)
• Finnish: mellakka (fi)
• French: émeute (fr) f
• Galician: tumulto (gl) m
• Georgian: აჯანყება (aǯanq̇eba)
• German: Aufruhr (de) m, Tumult (de) m, Krawall (de) m, Randale (de) f pl
• Gothic: 𐌿𐌽𐍃𐌿𐍄𐌹 n (unsuti)
• Hebrew: התפרעות f (hitpar'út)
• Hindi: दंगा (hi) m (daṅgā)
• Hungarian: lázadás (hu), lázongás (hu), zendülés (hu), zavargás (hu), forrongás (hu), randalírozás (hu), felkelés (hu)
• Ingrian: buntta
• Irish: círéib f
• Italian: tumulto (it) m, baccano (it) m, bailamme (it) m, gazzarra (it) f, baraonda (it) f, cagnara (it) f, parapiglia (it) m, subbuglio (it) m, bordello (it) m, schiamazzo (it), trambusto (it) m, rivolta (it) f, sommossa (it) f
• Japanese: 暴動 (ja) (ぼうどう, bōdō), 騒乱 (ja) (そうらん, sōran), 動乱 (ja) (どうらん, dōran), 狼藉 (ja) (ろうぜき, rōzeki)
• Khmer: ចលាចល (km) (caʼlaacɑl)
• Korean: 폭동(暴動) (ko) (pokdong), 반란(叛亂) (ko) (ballan)
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: riaušės f pl
• Macedonian: ну́мир m (númir), не́ред m (néred), ру́волт m (rúvolt), бунт m (bunt)
• Malay: rusuhan (ms)
• Middle English: riot
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norman: êmeute f (Jersey)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: opptøyer, opprør (no) n

• Persian: آشوب (fa) (âšub), شورش (fa) (šureš)
• Polish: zamieszki (pl) f pl, zbiegowisko (pl) n (legal term), bunt (pl) m
• Portuguese: tumulto (pt) m, revolta (pt) f, turbulência (pt) f, motim (pt) m
• Romanian: răscoală (ro) f, răzmeriță (ro) f, răzvrătire (ro) f, rebeliune (ro) f, revoltă (ro) f, sedițiune (ro) f
• Russian: бунт (ru) m (bunt), мяте́ж (ru) m (mjatéž), восста́ние (ru) n (vosstánije), беспоря́дки (ru) m pl (besporjádki)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: не̏мӣр m, бу̀нт m

  Roman: nȅmīr (sh) m, bùnt (sh) m

• Slovak: výtržnosti f, vrava f , nepokoje m pl
• Slovene: nemir m, kraval m, izgred (sl) m
• Spanish: alboroto (es) m, tumulto (es) m, disturbios (es) m pl, algarada (es) f, motín (es) m, asonada (es) f, bullanga (es) f
• Swedish: kravall (sv) c, uppror (sv) n, tumult (sv) n, upplopp (sv) n
• Tajik: шуриш (šuriš), ошӯб (ošüb)
• Thai: การกบฏ (th) (gaan-gà-bòt)
• Turkish: isyan (tr)
• Ukrainian: бунт (uk) (bunt), за́колот (uk) m (zákolot), меті́ж m (metíž), повста́ння n (povstánnja)
• Uzbek: qoʻzgʻolon (uz), isyon (uz), gʻalayon (uz)
• Vietnamese: bạo loạn (vi)
• Welsh: terfysg (cy) m, cythrwfl m

excessive and expensive feasting

• Bulgarian: оргия (bg) f (orgija)
• Finnish: hulina (fi)
• Italian: baldoria (it) f, bisboccia (it) f
• Macedonian: о́ргија f (órgija), ве́селба f (véselba)
• Middle English: riot
• Polish: hulanka (pl) f
• Russian: разгу́л (ru) m (razgúl)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} ayaklanma (tr), ^{(please verify)} isyan (tr), ^{(please verify)} arbede (tr)

Verb

riot (third-person singular simple present riots, present participle rioting, simple past and past participle rioted)

1. (intransitive) To create or take part in a riot; to raise an uproar or sedition.

   The nuclear protesters rioted outside the military base.

2. (intransitive, obsolete) To act in an unrestrained or wanton manner; to indulge in excess of feasting, luxury, etc.
   • 1595, Samuel Daniel, “(please specify the folio number)”, in The First Fowre Bookes of the Ciuile Wars between the Two Houses of Lancaster and Yorke, London: […] P[eter] Short for Simon Waterson, →OCLC:

     Now he exact of all, wastes in delight, / Riots in pleasure, and neglects the law.

   • 1717, Alexander Pope, “Eloisa to Abelard”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], published 1717, →OCLC:
   • 1794, Robert Southey, Wat Tyler. A Dramatic Poem. In Three Acts, London: J[ohn] M‘Creery, […] for Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, […], published 1817, →OCLC, Act I, page 21:

     Think of the insults, wrongs, and contumelies, / Ye bear from your proud lords—that your hard toil / Manures their fertile fields—you plow the earth, / You sow the corn, you reap the ripen'd harvest,— / They riot on the produce!— […]

3. (transitive) To cause to riot; to throw into a tumult.
4. (transitive) To annoy.

Translations

to create or take part in a riot

• Bulgarian: бунтувам се (buntuvam se)
• Catalan: avalotar (ca)
• Finnish: mellakoida (fi); hulinoida (fi)
• Hungarian: lázad (hu), lázong (hu), zendül (hu), zavarog (hu), forrong (hu), randalírozik (hu)
• Macedonian: бу́нтува (búntuva), се бу́нтува (se búntuva)
• Portuguese: tumultuar (pt), revoltar (pt)
• Slovak: robiť výtržnosti

Further reading

• Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.

Anagrams

• Tori, Troi, roti, tiro, tori, trio

Middle English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman riot, riote, of unknown origin.

Alternative forms

• riaut, riote, ryot, ryote
• ryat, ryaute, ryette, ryott, ryotte, ryout (Late Middle English)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /riːˈɔːt/, /riːˈuːt/, /ˈriːut/, /ˈriːat/, /ˈriːət/

Noun

riot (plural riotes)

1. A riot or uprising; a disturbance of the peace.
2. Riotousness, disturbance; lack of peaceableness.
3. Debauched living; dissipation or decadence:
   1. An instance of debauchery or decadence.
   2. Excessive and wild feasting or festivity; revelry.
      • 1387–1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Wyfe of Bathes Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, [Westminster: William Caxton, published 1478], →OCLC; republished in [William Thynne], editor, The Workes of Geffray Chaucer Newlye Printed, […], [London]: […] [Richard Grafton for] Iohn Reynes […], 1542, →OCLC:

        Venus loveth riot and dispense

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

4. (hunting) A situation where a hound is misled by scents other than the quarry.
5. (rare) A folk proverb.
6. (rare) A group of decadent individuals.

Related terms

• rioten
• riotour
• riotous

Descendants

• English: riot
• Scots: royet, royt

References

• “rīot(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Verb

riot

1. Alternative form of rioten