roiled; roiling; roils
2
: to move turbulently : be in a state of turbulence or agitation
conflicting emotions roiling inside her
Examples of roil in a Sentence
Financial markets have been roiled by the banking crisis.
the waters of the gulf tossed and roiled as the hurricane surged toward the shore
Recent Examples on the Web
Nationally, protests over Israel and Gaza were roiling campuses.
—
Emma Green, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
The new figures come amid President Donald Trump's trade wars that have roiled global markets and fueled anxiety over possible job losses and inflation.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
That means the president’s tariff policies, which have been met with resistance by some in the business community and have roiled global stock markets, may only be one piece of an effort to usher in the manufacturing renaissance the Trump administration hopes for.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 10 Apr. 2025
The controversial agreement between IRS and Homeland Security is among a number of moves roiling the tax collecting agency, which has begun laying off thousands of workers as the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, pushes mass terminations across the federal government.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for roil
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.
Emma Green, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
The new figures come amid President Donald Trump's trade wars that have roiled global markets and fueled anxiety over possible job losses and inflation.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
That means the president’s tariff policies, which have been met with resistance by some in the business community and have roiled global stock markets, may only be one piece of an effort to usher in the manufacturing renaissance the Trump administration hopes for.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 10 Apr. 2025
The controversial agreement between IRS and Homeland Security is among a number of moves roiling the tax collecting agency, which has begun laying off thousands of workers as the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, pushes mass terminations across the federal government.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for roil
Cite this Entry
“Roil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roil. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
roil
verb
ˈrȯi(ə)l 
sense 2 is also ˈrī(ə)l
1
: to make cloudy or muddy by stirring up
roil the water of a brook
2
: to rouse the anger of
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share