rile

verb

ˈrī(-ə)l How to pronounce rile (audio)
riled; riling
Synonyms of rile

transitive verb

1
: to make agitated and angry : upset
Her comments riled the professor.
2
: roil sense 1

Synonyms of rile

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irritate, exasperate, nettle, provoke, rile, peeve mean to excite a feeling of anger or annoyance.

irritate implies an often gradual arousing of angry feelings that may range from mere impatience to rage.

constant nagging that irritated me greatly

exasperate suggests galling annoyance and the arousing of extreme impatience.

his exasperating habit of putting off needed decisions

nettle suggests a sharp but passing annoyance or stinging.

your pompous attitude nettled several people

provoke implies an arousing of strong annoyance that may excite to action.

remarks made solely to provoke her

rile implies inducing an angry or resentful agitation.

the new work schedules riled the employees

peeve suggests arousing fretful often petty or querulous irritation.

a toddler peeved at being refused a cookie

Examples of rile in a Sentence

Her comments riled the professor. one sure way to rile me is to keep yelling for me
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And while enough baseball (and IL time) has happened since then to dim Mayer’s star considerably, there’s enough promise left in him to get Law riled up about the trade. — Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Offseason inaction on the pitching side already riled folks up, though … and methinks alleviating that angst will require something more adventurous. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 29 July 2026 Just as Lauren warned Porsha to be careful fighting with Shamea because Shamea knows exactly how to rile her up, Porsha knows how to play the perfect mind game to torture her ex bestie. — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 27 July 2026 This riled up the Kremlin, which works to create a perception of total support for Putin among the voting public. — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for rile

Word History

Etymology

variant of roil

First Known Use

1724, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rile was in 1724

Rhymes for rile

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Browse Nearby Words

rilawa
rile
riley
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Cite this Entry

“Rile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rile. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

rile

verb
ˈrī(ə)l How to pronounce rile (audio)
riled; riling
1
: to make angry
2
: roil sense 1

More from Merriam-Webster on rile

Nglish: Translation of rile for Spanish Speakers

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