rage

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: violent and uncontrolled anger
b
: a fit of violent wrath
c
archaic : insanity
2
: violent action (as of wind or sea)
3
: an intense feeling : passion
4
: a fad pursued with intense enthusiasm
was all the rage

rage

2 of 2

verb

raged; raging

intransitive verb

1
: to be in a rage
2
: to be in tumult
3
: to prevail uncontrollably
Choose the Right Synonym for rage

anger, ire, rage, fury, indignation, wrath mean an intense emotional state induced by displeasure.

anger, the most general term, names the reaction but by itself does not convey cause or intensity.

tried to hide his anger

ire, more frequent in literary contexts, suggests an intense anger, often with an evident display of feeling.

cheeks flushed with ire

rage and fury suggest loss of self-control from violence of emotion.

shook with rage
could not contain his fury

indignation stresses righteous anger at what one considers unfair, mean, or shameful.

a comment that caused general indignation

wrath is likely to suggest a desire or intent to punish or get revenge.

I feared her wrath if I was discovered

fashion, style, mode, vogue, fad, rage, craze mean the usage accepted by those who want to be up-to-date.

fashion is the most general term and applies to any way of dressing, behaving, writing, or performing that is favored at any one time or place.

the current fashion

style often implies a distinctive fashion adopted by people of taste.

a media baron used to traveling in style

mode suggests the fashion of the moment among those anxious to appear elegant and sophisticated.

slim bodies are the mode at this resort

vogue stresses the wide acceptance of a fashion.

short skirts are back in vogue

fad suggests caprice in taking up or in dropping a fashion.

last year's fad is over

rage and craze stress intense enthusiasm in adopting a fad.

Cajun food was the rage nearly everywhere for a time
crossword puzzles once seemed just a passing craze but have lasted

Examples of rage in a Sentence

Noun Her note to him was full of rage. He was shaking with rage. She was seized by a murderous rage. His rages rarely last more than a few minutes. Verb She raged about the injustice of their decision. The manager raged at the umpire. A storm was raging outside, but we were warm and comfortable indoors. The fire raged for hours.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Blending gothic atmosphere and ghastly horror, the film is full of unforgettable images: The witch Aja (Steele) being tortured before she’s burned at the stake; an undead sorcerer digging himself out of his grave; Aja’s tomb exploding with the power of her rage. Katie Rife, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2024 Her father, Louis, was a professional jazz drummer who was given to rages. Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Like a hot sauna stone splashed with water, Patricia sizzles with rage. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 Hybrid vehicles — a neat balance between a gas-guzzler and an EV — are all the rage. William Gavin, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 When the members of Team Movement hear that their comprehensively heinous executive manager, Meredith, is up for promotion, their first reaction is rage. Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2024 Prosecutors argued that Monahan was motivated by irrational rage toward trespassers. CBS News, 1 Mar. 2024 Hendrick’s Grand Cabaret is designed to appeal to free-spirited souls seeking a wildly indulgent, yet refreshing spirit for glorious gatherings of all manner — inspired by Parisian parties in the 1920s when stone fruit was all the rage. Amber Love Bond, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Electric cars are all the rage—but people haven’t been buying quite as many of them as auto companies like Tesla had hoped, especially in recent months. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 4 Mar. 2024
Verb
In a region of Oaxaca famous for its flavorful mezcal, a wildfire was raging dangerously close to the town of San Lucas Quiaviní. Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Multiple severe thunderstorm complexes had raged on through the night, transitioning to windy squall lines that were moving through both Texas and Alabama to start the day. Scott Dance, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Tornadoes raged through the Midwest on Thursday, March 14, 2024, leaving devastation across the states of Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Mar. 2024 The war rages on, with Palestinians suffering tremendously. Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 12 Mar. 2024 But the speculation largely continued raging online, especially on social media, fueled by other incidents within the royal family – such as Prince William pulling out of an important family gathering earlier this month without public explanation. Mitchell McCluskey, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 The investigation, led by the New Jersey State Police and splashed across front pages worldwide, raged on until September 1934, when a $10 gold certificate from the ransom payment was used to buy gasoline in New York. Tracey Tully, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 By Joseph Hammond With war raging across the border in the Ukraine, few investors are looking at Moldova as a potential investment opportunity. Zenger News, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The debate over corporate disclosure is raging even as the economic toll of warming climbs. Maxine Joselow, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin rabia, from Latin rabies rage, madness, from rabere to be mad; akin to Sanskrit rabhas violence

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rage was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near rage

Cite this Entry

“Rage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rage. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rage

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: very strong and uncontrolled anger
b
: a fit of violent anger
2
: violent action (as of wind or sea)
3
: fad
the current rage

rage

2 of 2 verb
raged; raging
1
: to be in a rage
2
: to continue out of control
the fire raged for hours

Medical Definition

rage

noun
: violent and uncontrolled anger

More from Merriam-Webster on rage

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