Roaring

How to spell roaring

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce roaring

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does roaring mean?

1. adjectiveMaking a deep, loud, prolonged sound.
2. adjectiveLively and highly successful, especially of business or commerce.

Roaring in a sentence

• The roaring engine of the lorry kept the whole street awake.

• The cafe did a roaring trade during the summer festival.

• They warmed their hands beside a roaring log fire.

• Second-hand bikes sold at a roaring pace all weekend.

Where does roaring come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word grows from the Old English verb rarian, meaning to bellow, wail, or cry out, an imitative formation whose very sound suggests the deep noise it names. It belongs to the Germanic family, with relatives such as the Old High German reren and the Dutch raren, all echoing a low, drawn-out cry. Across the centuries the verb roar settled into modern English, and roaring became both its present participle and a vivid adjective. By the 1500s English speakers were stretching the sense figuratively, so a roaring trade meant business that was loud with success, and a roaring fire meant flames blazing fiercely. The spelling keeps the double vowel oa and ends in the regular -ing, so the only real care needed is remembering the silent ease with which roar is built before the ending is added.

How the word is built

• roar (from Old English rarian: to roar, bellow)
• -ing (present participle / adjective suffix)