roiled; roiling; roils
2
: to move turbulently : be in a state of turbulence or agitation
conflicting emotions roiling inside her
Examples of roil in a Sentence
Financial markets have been roiled by the banking crisis.
the waters of the gulf tossed and roiled as the hurricane surged toward the shore
Recent Examples on the Web
The uncertainty over the policy has roiled the economy.
—
Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 2 Apr. 2025
Sanders strenuously denied it, but the incident roiled his campaign, according to The New York Times.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
The uncertainty continued to roil financial markets.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2025
Competing ideas on these economic and business topics have roiled Wall Street, Main Street and the Beltway in recent months.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for roil
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Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 2 Apr. 2025
Sanders strenuously denied it, but the incident roiled his campaign, according to The New York Times.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
The uncertainty continued to roil financial markets.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2025
Competing ideas on these economic and business topics have roiled Wall Street, Main Street and the Beltway in recent months.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for roil
Cite this Entry
“Roil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roil. Accessed 6 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
roil
verb
ˈrȯi(ə)l 
sense 2 is also ˈrī(ə)l
1
: to make cloudy or muddy by stirring up
roil the water of a brook
2
: to rouse the anger of
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