I. ri ‧ ot 1 /ˈraɪət/ BrE AmE 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.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ 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.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + riot
▪ 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 + NOUN
▪ 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.
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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.
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THESAURUS
■ when people hit or attack each other
▪ 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.
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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.
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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.
II. riot 2 BrE AmE 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]
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.