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 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 Uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow oil tankers to freely exit the Persian Gulf again has roiled markets, causing oil prices to rise and pushing up Treasury yields due to worries over inflation. — ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026 Energy markets have been roiled since the US attacked Iran in late February and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz. — Norah Rami, Fortune, 14 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
  • Much has changed on the ground in Chicago since Ahmed left town for Dubai as investigations swirled around him.
    — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Starting Friday, the strong wind shear that’s been swirling in the Atlantic all season and keeping most storms at bay is expected to pick up again, wearing away at Dolly.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of swirl
Verb
  • That angered Michigan Democrats who were frustrated with El-Sayed, and brought Jeffries and other Democrats into the fray, putting the candidate El-Sayed had invested the most in on the defensive.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The president is defending the data center boom as GOP officials across the country turn against projects that have angered voters.
    — Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of anger
Verb
  • Ashcroft keeps the pace steady and the atmosphere churning, while Deming conjures a more generic but perfectly effective air of menace in damp shades of brown and teal.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Peaceful, lush green valleys are transformed in an instant with the violence of churning water.
    — Matteo Moschella, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of churn
Verb
  • 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
  • The heated rhetoric has infuriated and astonished most Canadians; in a recent poll, seventy-six per cent supported the decision of the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, to walk away from trade talks with Washington.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of infuriate
Verb
  • Just boiling things down to that, and to the voice and the lip sync is painstaking.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
  • While waiting for the water to boil, shuck the corn and discard the husks.
    — Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of boil
Verb
  • 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
  • The comment at a rally last Sunday titillated, provoked and enraged different audiences simultaneously, all but guaranteeing saturation news coverage and even more attention.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 19 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
  • That very same thing is what annoys Liz about Charles 500 years later.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • At Wintrust Arena, Freedom didn’t just annoy Cloud and other players.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 25 Aug. 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 4 Sep. 2026.

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