/ rɔː(r); NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
1.
[ v ] to make a very loud, deep sound :
We heard a lion roar.
The gun roared deafeningly.
The engine roared to life (= started noisily) .
2.
roar (sth) (out) to shout sth very loudly :
[ v ]
The crowd roared.
[ vn ]
The fans roared (out) their approval.
[ v speech ]
'Stand back,' he roared.
3.
[ v ] roar (with laughter) to laugh very loudly :
He looked so funny, we all roared.
It made them roar with laughter.
4.
[ v + adv. / prep. ] ( of a vehicle or its rider / driver ) to move very fast, making a lot of noise :
She put her foot down and the car roared away.
5.
[ v ] ( of a fire ) to burn brightly with a lot of flames, heat and noise
■ noun
1.
a loud deep sound made by an animal, especially a lion , or by sb's voice :
His speech was greeted by a roar of applause.
roars of laughter
2.
a loud continuous noise made by the wind or sea, or by a machine :
I could barely hear above the roar of traffic.
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English rārian (verb), imitative of a deep prolonged cry, of West Germanic origin; related to German röhren . The noun dates from late Middle English .