roil

verb

ˈrȯi(-ə)l 

 transitive sense 2 is also  ˈrī(-ə)l

roiled; roiling; roils

transitive verb

1

a

: to make turbid by stirring up the sediment or dregs of

b

: to stir up : disturb, disorder

2

: rile sense 1

intransitive verb

: to move turbulently : be in a state of turbulence or agitation

conflicting emotions roiling inside her

Synonyms

• boil
• churn
• moil
• seethe

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

For millions of years following the Big Bang, after the universe’s roiling soup of particles had cooled, the cosmos was a dark and boring place. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 30 Jan. 2025

The confusion was compounded by the ongoing freeze on external communications at HHS, which has roiled medical researchers and clinicians. —Tina Reed, Axios, 29 Jan. 2025

Homicide and nonfatal shooting totals fell again in 2023, but the city was roiled by robbery and carjacking crews responsible for an overall uptick in violence. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2025

Arbery’s killing, along with those of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, was a focal point of protests that roiled the country in the summer of 2020. —Dakin Andone, CNN, 21 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids 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