Meanings
rabble1
present singular third person rabbles · participle present rabbling · participle past rabbled · past rabbled · alternative ravel
- intransitiveTo speak in a confused manner; talk incoherently; utter nonsense
rabble2
plural rabbles
- obsoleteA bewildered or meaningless string of words.
- obsoleteA pack of animals; or any confused collection of things.
- derogatoryThe mass of common people; the lowest class of populace.First known use 1550s
Such practices as Theſe, too groſs to lye / Long unobſerv'd by each diſcerning Eye, / The more judicious Iſraelites Unſpell'd, / Though ſtill the Charm the giddy Rabble held, […]
1682, [Nahum Tate; John Dryden], The Second Part of Absalom and Achitophel. A Poem, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 5Synonyms: plebs, riffraff, canaille, commonality, commonalty, crowd, commonage, demos
rabble3
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA mob; a disorderly crowd.
nounThe mass of common people; the lowest class of populace.
More synonyms by meaning
noundisparaging terms for the common people
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
rabble · verb
- Middle Englishrablen“to ramble; rave; speak in a confused manner”
- Englishrabble
First attested since 1300s, from Middle English rablen (“to ramble; rave; speak in a confused manner”), cognate with Middle Dutch rabbelen (“to talk; chatter; trifle”), Low German rabbeln, robbeln (“to chatter; prattle”).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →rabble · noun
- Middle Englishrabel
- Englishrabble
From Middle English rabel, probably from the verb (see above).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →rabble · noun, verb
- Latinrutabulum“a poker”
- Old Frenchroable
- Englishrabble
From Old French roable (modern French râble), from Latin rutabulum (“a poker”).
More words from Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek σύρφαξ, συρφετός
- σύρφαξ (súrphax)the mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- συρφετός (surphetós)the mass of common people; the lowest class of people
Bulgarian тълпа, простолюдие
- тълпа (tălpa)a disorderly crowd
- простолюдие (prostoljudie)the mass of common people; the lowest class of people
Catalan gentalla, gentola
- gentallathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- gentolathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- xurmathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- xusmathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- populatxothe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- trepathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- gentussathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- turbathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- patuleiathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
Czech dav, masa
- dava disorderly crowd
- masaa disorderly crowd
- hordaa disorderly crowd
- lůzathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- plebsthe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
Finnish väkijoukko, ihmisjoukko
- väkijoukkoa disorderly crowd
- ihmisjoukkoa disorderly crowd
- rahvasthe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
French cohue, foule
- cohuea disorderly crowd
- foulea disorderly crowd
- populacethe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- racaillethe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- plèbethe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
German Pöbel
- Pöbelthe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
Greek όχλος, σκυλολόι
- όχλος (óchlos)a disorderly crowd
- σκυλολόι (skylolói)a disorderly crowd
- αληταρία (alitaría)the mass of common people; the lowest class of people
Hindi रमदू फट्टू
- रमदू फट्टू (ramdū phaṭṭū)the mass of common people; the lowest class of people
Hungarian tömeg, csőcselék
- tömega disorderly crowd
- csőcselékthe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- csürhethe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- söpredékthe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
Italian gentaglia
- gentagliathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
Japanese 烏合の衆, 有象無象
- 烏合の衆 (ugō no shū)a disorderly crowd
- 有象無象 (uzou muzou)a disorderly crowd
Korean 떨거지
- 떨거지 (tteolgeoji)the mass of common people; the lowest class of people
Latin popellus
- popellusthe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
Lithuanian gaujà, pãdugnės
- gaujàa disorderly crowd
- pãdugnėsthe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
Polish hałastra, hołota
- hałastraa disorderly crowd
- hołotaa disorderly crowd
- motłocha disorderly crowd
- barachłothe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- bydłothe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- dziczthe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- gołotathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- hultajstwothe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- mętythe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- swołoczthe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- tałatajstwothe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- tłuszczathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
Portuguese gentalha, ralé
- gentalhathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- raléthe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- maltathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
Russian толпа́, сброд
- толпа́ (tolpá)a disorderly crowd
- сброд (sbrod)a disorderly crowd
- чернь (černʹ)a disorderly crowd
- бы́дло (býdlo)a disorderly crowd
- сброд (sbrod)the mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- чернь (černʹ)the mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- бы́дло n толпа́ (býdlo)the mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- простонаро́дье (prostonaródʹje)the mass of common people; the lowest class of people
Spanish turba, gentuza
- turbaa disorderly crowd
- gentuzathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- gentuallathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- chusmathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- glebathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- patuleathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- gentecillathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- populachothe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- plebethe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- turbathe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
- muchedumbrethe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
Swedish pöbel
- pöbelthe mass of common people; the lowest class of people
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with rabble
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
rabble. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rabble
“rabble.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rabble. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rabble,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rabble.
Source: rabble on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.