raved; raving
Synonyms of ravenext

intransitive verb

1
a
: to talk irrationally in or as if in delirium
b
: to speak out wildly
c
: to talk with extreme enthusiasm
raved about its beauty
2
: to move or advance violently : storm
… the iced gusts still rave and beat …—John Keats

transitive verb

: to utter in madness or frenzy

rave

2 of 2

noun

1
: an act or instance of raving
2
: an extravagantly favorable criticism
the play received the critics' raves
3
: a large overnight dance party featuring techno music and usually involving the taking of mind-altering drugs

Examples of rave in a Sentence

Verb “It's his best performance yet,” raved one movie critic. The guy on the corner was raving like a madman. The coach ranted and raved at the referee. Noun Her review of the movie was a rave. the books have received even more raves from parents than from the kids they were written for
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
Readers rave about the flavorful combination of fresh apples, plump, juicy raisins, and cinnamon. — Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2026 Guests with kids can stay in the main building and take advantage of the onsite restaurant and Kids Club (which people absolutely rave about) and those without children can escape to the Praia Collection. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Oct. 2026
Noun
Argentina’s queen of perreo-rave has become a South American it-girl, landing buzzy domestic collaborations with Dillom and Emilia Mernes, and strutting into the international spotlight with guest spots on tracks from Shy Girl and Yeri Mua. — Richard Villegas, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026 Fat Dog are now onto a second album of their idiocracy agit-rave. — Laura Snapes, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rave

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rave was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rave. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

raved; raving
1
: to talk wildly or irrationally
2
: to talk with great enthusiasm
raved about the new play
raver noun

rave

2 of 2 noun
: a statement of enthusiastic praise
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!