tirade

noun

ti·​rade ˈtī-ˌrād How to pronounce tirade (audio)
 also  ti-ˈrād
: a protracted speech usually marked by intemperate, vituperative, or harshly censorious language

Examples of tirade in a Sentence

He went into a tirade about the failures of the government. The coach directed a tirade at the team after the loss.
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.
After a week of social media tirades and tense microphone diplomacy, the gruesome battle has somehow faded into the background. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 24 Feb. 2025 The same players refusing to step on the badge in the name of sportsmanship will, two hours later, be throwing themselves to the floor clutching their face in an attempt to get an opponent sent off and aiming a tirade of profanities at the referee. Ali Rampling, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025 The two-time Academy Award winner has opened up in the past about his sobriety following his 2006 anti-Semitic tirade during an arrest for drunk driving. Jen Juneau, People.com, 14 Feb. 2025 Ocasio-Cortez was the subject of harsh criticism on social media for her tirade later on Tuesday. Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 15 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tirade

Word History

Etymology

French, shot, tirade, from Middle French, from Old Italian tirata, from tirare to draw, shoot

First Known Use

1802, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tirade was in 1802

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tirade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tirade. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

tirade

noun
ti·​rade tī-ˈrād How to pronounce tirade (audio)
ˈtī-ˌrād
: a long violent angry speech : harangue

More from Merriam-Webster on tirade

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