roister

as in to carouse
to take part in drunken revelry the earl's wastrel son had spent the best part of his youth roistering and gambling

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 roister One of his sons, Thomas (Dean-Charles Chapman), though hardly old enough to be in long pants, wears shining armor, while the other son, Hal (Timothée Chalamet), is a slouch who wastes his life in roistering. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roister
Verb
  • Some allegedly caroused until dawn.
    Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Mar. 2025
  • From there, a series of scenes — a late-night house party full of adults drinking and carousing, a cascade of tinsel falling off a Christmas tree, a playground fail — replicate a you-are-there feeling as a preadolescent named Elwood Curtis navigates the agonies and ecstasies of boyhood.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Zimmerman, 44, was scheduled to perform a multi-hour set alongside fellow electronic artist Zhu, who could also be seen drinking during the show, according to videos posted to social media.
    Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Preventing a cancer diagnosis is a top health goal for many – and what people eat and drink can potentially play a big role.
    Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • First up, while people are revelling following the verdict, the emotional intensity of reaction can be traced to a sense of loss.
    Callum Booth, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
  • Key speeches are faithfully delivered to an audience of two, not thousands; a scene of soldiers destructively revelling on a bridge is given a different spirit by ironic, out-of-time horseplay.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 8 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who.
    Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025
  • The popular Netflix series is now back for its seventh season, which premiered on April 10, with six new episodes for fans to binge.
    Nicole Briese, People.com, 12 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • There was sea salt in the air, and sleepless seagulls were birling in the darkness overhead.
    Douglas Stuart, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2020
  • Another, unable to reach dry land, dug his spiked boots into a slippery timber and birled downriver.
    Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 16 Feb. 2019
Verb
  • Image Image In the village of Midsomer Norton, about 50 miles away, 100 people or so turned out for a community event to wassail three small apple trees in the local park.
    Stephen Castle, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
  • This drink was often used as part of wassailing in England.
    BHG Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 June 2023

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Roister.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roister. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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