noun / verb
riot
RY-uht/ˈraɪət/
An uncontrolled disturbance marked by wild collective activity.
People overturn a street bin and smash a window during a riot.
Etymology
The French word covered quarrels and domestic strife. In English, meanings involving wanton, disorderly behavior developed into the sense of a violent disturbance of public peace.
In context
racial skirmishes at the public high school escalated into a full-scale race riot looting and burning took place in northern part of Trenton
More examples
- Angry fans rioted outside the stadium after the game.
- Several shops remain closed after two nights of riots.
- Police arrested several people for rioting in the street.
Forms
riot · riots · rioted · rioting
rioter noun — A person who participates in a riot.
riotous adjective — Marked by violent or uncontrolled public disorder.
Similar words
- disturbance
- Broader term for disrupted order, not necessarily involving crowd violence.
- uprising
- Emphasizes collective resistance to authority rather than uncontrolled disorder.