Adjacent Words

Rabble definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

RAB'BLE, n. [L. rabula, a brawler, from rabo, to rave.]
1. A tumultuous crowd of vulgar, noisy people; the mob; a confused disorderly crowd.
2. The lower class of people, without reference to an assembly; the dregs of the people.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a disorderly crowd of people [syn: mob, rabble, rout]
2: disparaging terms for the common people [syn: rabble, riffraff, ragtag, ragtag and bobtail]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English rabel pack of animals Date: 14th century 1. a disorganized or confused collection of things 2. a. a disorganized or disorderly crowd of people ; mob b. the lowest class of people II. transitive verb (rabbled; rabbling) Date: 1644 to insult or assault by or as a mob

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. 1 a disorderly crowd; a mob. 2 a contemptible or inferior set of people. 3 (prec. by the) the lower or disorderly classes of the populace. Phrases and idioms: rabble-rouser a person who stirs up the rabble or a crowd of people in agitation for social or political change. rabble-rousing adj. tending to arouse the emotions of a crowd. --n. the act or process of doing this. Etymology: ME: orig. uncert. 2. n. an iron bar with a bent end for stirring molten metal etc. Etymology: F râble f. med.L rotabulum, L rutabulum fire-shovel f. ruere rut- rake up

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rabble Rab"ble, n. [Probably named from the noise made by it (see Rabble, v. t.) cf. D. rapalje rabble, OF. & Prov. F. rapaille.] 1. A tumultuous crowd of vulgar, noise people; a mob; a confused, disorderly throng. I saw, I say, come out of London, even unto the presence of the prince, a great rabble of mean and light persons. --Ascham. Jupiter, Mercury, Bacchus, Venus, Mars and the whole rabble of licentious deities. --Bp. Warburton. 2. A confused, incoherent discourse; a medley of voices; a chatter. The rabble, the lowest class of people, without reference to an assembly; the dregs of the people. ``The rabble call him `lord.''' --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rabble Rab"ble (r[a^]b"b'l), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Iron Manuf.) An iron bar, with the end bent, used in stirring or skimming molten iron in the process of puddling.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rabble Rab"ble, v. t. To stir with a rabble, as molten iron.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rabble Rab"ble, v. i. [Akin to D. rabbelen, Prov. G. rabbeln, to prattle, to chatter: cf. L. rabula a brawling advocate, a pettifogger, fr. rabere to rave. Cf. Rage] To speak in a confused manner. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rabble Rab"ble, a. Of or pertaining to a rabble; like, or suited to, a rabble; disorderly; vulgar. [R.] --Dryden.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rabble Rab"ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rabbled; p. pr. & vb. n. Rabbling.] 1. To insult, or assault, by a mob; to mob; as, to rabble a curate. --Macaulay. The bishops' carriages were stopped and the prelates them selves rabbled on their way to the house. --J. R. Green. 2. To utter glibly and incoherently; to mouth without intelligence. [Obs. or Scot.] --Foxe. 3. To rumple; to crumple. [Scot.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

A rabble is a crowd of noisy people who seem likely to cause trouble. He seems to attract a rabble of supporters more loyal to the man than to the cause. N-SING: usu with supp

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

rab'-l: This word is not found in the King James Version. the Revised Version (British and American) has it once as the translation of agoraios (literally, "lounger in the market place"), in Ac 17:5, where it replaces "baser sort" of the King James Version. It has the common meaning of an unruly, lawless set who are ready to join a mob.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Mob, rout, rabble-rout, tumultuous crowd of vulgar people; confused, disorderly crowd. 2. Populace, commonalty, herd, dregs of the people, the common people, scum of society, lowest class of people, lower classes, the masses, riff-raff, swinish multitude, ignoble vulgar, vulgar herd, canaille. 3. Rhapsody, incoherent discourse, medley.

Moby Thesaurus

and bobtail, army, bourgeoisie, canaille, cluster, cohue, common ruck, commonalty, commoners, crowd, crush, deluge, dregs, dregs of society, flock, flood, galaxy, gang, heap, hoi polloi, horde, host, jam, legion, lower classes, many, mass, masses, mob, mod, multitude, other half, outcasts, panoply, peasantry, people, polloi, populace, press, proletariat, public, rabblement, raff, rag, ragtag, ragtag and bobtail, rank and file, riffraff, rout, ruck, scum, scurf, spate, swarm, tag, the great unwashed, throng, trash, unwashed, vermin