riot
[noun]
Synonyms:
- disturbance, anarchy, confusion, disorder, lawlessness, strife, tumult, turbulence, turmoil, upheaval
- revelry, carousal, festivity, frolic, high jinks, merrymaking
- profusion, display, extravaganza, show, splash
- run riot: rampage, be out of control, go wild, grow profusely, spread like wildfire
[verb]
Synonyms:
- rampage, go on the rampage, run riot

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Related Words: sensation, smash, wow

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English Thesaurus: complaint, make a complaint, complaint about, formal complaint, letters of complaint, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. ri‧ot¹ /ˈraɪət/ noun
[Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: 'quarrel']

1. [countable] a situation in which a large crowd of people are behaving in a violent and uncontrolled way, especially when they are protesting about something:
urban riots
prison riots
His murder triggered vicious race riots (=caused by a problem between different races).
police wearing riot gear (=the special clothing and equipment worn by police officers during a riot)
police in bullet-proof vests and carrying riot shields (=a piece of very hard plastic which police officers stand behind to protect them)

2. run riot
a) if your imagination, emotions, thoughts etc run riot, you cannot or do not control them:
Manufacturers have let their imaginations run riot to create new computer games.
b) if people run riot, they behave in a violent, noisy, and uncontrolled way:
Some people let their children run riot.
c) if a plant runs riot, it grows very quickly

3. a riot of colour something with many different bright colours:
The garden is a riot of colour in spring.

4. read (somebody) the riot act to give someone a strong warning that they must stop causing trouble – used humorously:
If the kids don’t settle down soon, I’ll go up and read them the riot act.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. riot² verb [intransitive]
if a crowd of people riot, they behave in a violent and uncontrolled way, for example by fighting the police and damaging cars or buildings:
University students rioted in protest at tuition fees.
—rioting noun [uncountable]
—rioter noun [countable]

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

riot
noun
ADJ. major, serious | full-scale | violent | inner-city, urban | prison | race | student | bread, food Shortages eventually led to food riots.
VERB + RIOT cause, provoke, spark (off), start The city's housing and unemployment problems sparked serious riots.
put down, quell
RIOT + VERB begin, break out, erupt, occur, start Prison riots broke out over worsening conditions.
RIOT + NOUN police, squad | gear, shield | control
PREP. during/in a/the ~ He was killed in the riots.
~ against/over a riot against bread prices
PHRASES run riot Fans ran riot after the match, overturning cars and looting shops.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

riot

cause a riot
When the election results were announced, it caused riots in the capital.
spark off a riot (=make it start)
The incident sparked off a riot which lasted for three days.
quell a riot (=use force to stop it)
The police marched in to quell the riots.
a riot begins/breaks out/erupts
Riots broke out last month following the verdict.
a prison riot
The prison riots were caused by bad physical conditions and poor security.
race riots (=caused by a problem between different races)
In 1967, there were race riots in a number of major American cities.
urban/inner-city riots
The urban riots forced the Government to invest in the inner cities.
a serious/major riot
The jail was hit by a serious riot last year.
a full-scale riot (=a serious riot, not only a little fighting)
The disturbance escalated into a full-scale riot.
riot police
The city deployed riot police to contain the demonstration.
the riot squad (=a group of police who deal with riots)
Then someone called the riot squad.
Demonstrators clashed with 140 riot squad officers, drawn from the police and the British army.
riot gear (=special clothing worn by police dealing with a riot)
Almost 1,000 officers, many in riot gear, were needed to restore order.
a riot shield (=a plastic shield used by a police officer)
The police moved in on the demonstration using riot shields and tear gas.
riot control
All officers are trained in riot control.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

complaint something that you say or write when you are complaining, especially to someone in an official position:
If you have any complaints, please contact our customer relations department.
Our main complaint is the poor standard of service.
If you have a complaint, you should write to the manager.
⇒ make a complaint:
Some employees are worried about what will happen to them if they make a complaint.
⇒ complaint about:
Keating was dismissed after complaints about the quality of his work.
⇒ formal complaint:
Mr Kelly has made a formal complaint against the police.
⇒ letters of complaint:
The commission has so far received nearly 10,000 letters of complaint.
protest when someone complains publicly about something that they think is wrong or unfair and should not be allowed to happen:
Despite their protests, the students’ fees were increased.
⇒ in protest (=as a way of making a protest):
When two members of the team were dismissed, the rest of them walked out in protest.
⇒ protest against:
The ambassador lodged a formal protest against the proposals.
⇒ ignore somebody’s protests:
Ignoring my protests, he took off his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders.
grievance something that you feel unhappy about because you think that you have been treated unfairly – use this especially about an official complaint you make about the place where you work: file a grievance (=officially complain):
She filed a grievance last year after her supervisor refused to promote her.
⇒ grievance against:
Anyone who has a legitimate grievance against the company can take it to the arbitration committee.
⇒ air a grievance (=discuss a grievance publicly):
The meetings give employees the opportunity to express their views or air grievances.
march to walk in a large group from one place to another in order to protest about something:
Hundreds of students marched through the city in protest against the employment laws.
demonstrate to walk or stand somewhere in a large group, in order to protest about something:
About 200 people were demonstrating outside the US Embassy.
Environmentalists have been demonstrating against plans to dump waste at sea.
riot to protest by behaving in a violent and uncontrolled way:
Hundreds of workers rioted after pay negotiations broke down.
The prisoners were rioting agianst their appalling conditions.
boycott to protest about the actions of a company, country, or industry by refusing to buy something, or refusing to go to a place or event:
They may boycott the next Olympic Games.
Shoppers are boycotting battery-farmed eggs.
hold/stage a sit-in to protest by refusing to leave a place:
The students have been staging a sit-in to protest about overcrowding at the polytechnic.
go on a hunger strike (also go on hunger strike British English) to protest by refusing to eat:
Maynard went on a hunger strike to protest his innocence.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

fight a situation in which people hit or attack each other because of an argument, or as a sport:
He had a fight with an older boy.
the famous fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman
battle a fight between opposing armies or groups of people:
The English king was killed at the Battle of Hastings.
a battle between two rival gangs
scuffle a short fight that is not very violent:
There was a short scuffle with the police, but no arrests were made.
punch-up British English informal a fight in which people hit each other because of an argument:
The game turned into a punch-up.
brawl a noisy fight between a group of people:
He was hurt in a drunken brawl.
altercation formal a short noisy argument or fight, especially one that is not serious:
There was a brief altercation and someone called the police.
riot a fight involving a large number of people, especially people who are protesting about something:
The book provoked riots all over Europe.
campaign a planned series of actions intended to achieve something:
Motoring organizations started a campaign for safer roads.
struggle a long, hard fight for freedom, independence, equal rights etc:
Nkrumah led the people in their struggle for independence.
crusade someone’s fight against something they think is morally wrong:
She intends to continue her crusade against sex and violence on TV.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

fight a situation in which people hit or attack each other because of an argument, or as a sport:
He had a fight with an older boy.
the famous fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman
battle a fight between opposing armies or groups of people:
The English king was killed at the Battle of Hastings.
a battle between two rival gangs
scuffle a short fight that is not very violent:
There was a short scuffle with the police, but no arrests were made.
punch-up British English informal a fight in which people hit each other because of an argument:
The game turned into a punch-up.
brawl a noisy fight between a group of people:
He was hurt in a drunken brawl.
altercation formal a short noisy argument or fight, especially one that is not serious:
There was a brief altercation and someone called the police.
riot a fight involving a large number of people, especially people who are protesting about something:
The book provoked riots all over Europe.
protest to do something to show publicly that you disagree with something – used especially when a large group of people do this together:
Huge crowds gathered in the capital protesting against the war.
Drivers blocked roads around the capital to protest about the rising cost of fuel.
march to walk in a large group from one place to another in order to protest about something:
Hundreds of students marched through the city in protest against the employment laws.
demonstrate to walk or stand somewhere in a large group, in order to protest about something:
About 200 people were demonstrating outside the US Embassy.
Environmentalists have been demonstrating against plans to dump waste at sea.
boycott to protest about the actions of a company, country, or industry by refusing to buy something, or refusing to go to a place or event:
They may boycott the next Olympic Games.
Shoppers are boycotting battery-farmed eggs.
hold/stage a sit-in to protest by refusing to leave a place:
The students have been staging a sit-in to protest about overcrowding at the polytechnic.
go on a hunger strike (also go on hunger strike British English) to protest by refusing to eat:
Maynard went on a hunger strike to protest his innocence.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

protest to do something to show publicly that you disagree with something – used especially when a large group of people do this together:
Huge crowds gathered in the capital protesting against the war.
Drivers blocked roads around the capital to protest about the rising cost of fuel.
march to walk in a large group from one place to another in order to protest about something:
Hundreds of students marched through the city in protest against the employment laws.
demonstrate to walk or stand somewhere in a large group, in order to protest about something:
About 200 people were demonstrating outside the US Embassy.
Environmentalists have been demonstrating against plans to dump waste at sea.
riot to protest by behaving in a violent and uncontrolled way:
Hundreds of workers rioted after pay negotiations broke down.
The prisoners were rioting agianst their appalling conditions.
boycott to protest about the actions of a company, country, or industry by refusing to buy something, or refusing to go to a place or event:
They may boycott the next Olympic Games.
Shoppers are boycotting battery-farmed eggs.
hold/stage a sit-in to protest by refusing to leave a place:
The students have been staging a sit-in to protest about overcrowding at the polytechnic.
go on a hunger strike (also go on hunger strike British English) to protest by refusing to eat:
Maynard went on a hunger strike to protest his innocence.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

riot
ˈraɪət
See: read the riot act , run riot

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲