rioter

R1I1O1T1E1R1
UK/ˈɹaɪətə/US/ˈɹaɪətɚ/

noun

One who riots; part of the unruly violent crowd causing a riot.

“The rioters had erected a makeshift barricade and were pelting the police with rocks from behind it.”

OriginMiddle English riotour ← Old French rioteor →
Scrabble 6
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Meanings

nounrioter (plural rioters)

plural rioters · alternative archaic riotor

  1. One who riots; part of the unruly violent crowd causing a riot.

    The rioters had erected a makeshift barricade and were pelting the police with rocks from behind it.

    2 more examples

    The rioters overshadowed the message of peaceful protesters on prior days: They had called for justice for Gray, a 25-year-old African-American man who died from spinal injuries after police arrested him this month.

    2015 April 28, Ben Brumfield, “Baltimore riots: A few people tried to stop the unrest”, in CNN, archived from the original on 13 Aug 2025

    High-profile January 6 rioter Guy Reffitt showed up in Washington, DC, on Wednesday to celebrate with his wife and supporters who’d been hoping for his release from federal detention for months.

    2025 January 24, Katelyn Polantz, Holmes Lybrand, “Exclusive: January 6 rioter freed after Trump’s pardon — but authorities say he should still be in jail”, in CNN, archived from the original on 12 Feb 2025

Origin

  1. Old Frenchrioteor
  2. Middle Englishriotour
  3. Englishrioter

Inherited from Middle English riotour, from Old French rioteor; equivalent to riot + -er.

More words from Middle English, Old French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian размирник
  • размирник (razmirnik)one who riots
Catalan amotinat, amotinada
  • amotinatone who riots
  • amotinadaone who riots
Dutch relschopper, oproermaker
  • relschopperone who riots
  • oproermakerone who riots
Finnish mellakoitsija, mellakoija
  • mellakoitsijaone who riots
  • mellakoijaone who riots
French émeutier, émeutière
  • émeutierone who riots
  • émeutièreone who riots
German Randalierer, Randaliererin
  • Randaliererone who riots
  • Randaliererinone who riots
  • Aufrührerone who riots
  • Aufrührerinone who riots
Irish círéibeoir
  • círéibeoirone who riots
Korean 폭도
  • 폭도 (pokdo)one who riots
Polish buntownik, buntowniczka
  • buntownikone who riots
  • buntowniczkaone who riots
Portuguese baderneiro, baderneira
  • baderneiroone who riots
  • baderneiraone who riots
Russian бунтовщи́к, повста́нец
  • бунтовщи́к (buntovščík)one who riots
  • повста́нец (povstánec)one who riots
  • мяте́жник (mjatéžnik)one who riots
  • бунта́рь (buntárʹ)one who riots
Swedish upploppsmakare
  • upploppsmakareone who riots
Turkish gösterici; isyancı; ayaklanmacı
  • gösterici; isyancı; ayaklanmacıone who riots
Welsh terfysgwr
  • terfysgwrone who riots

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

RetiroTerrio
Cite this entry
APA

rioter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rioter

MLA

“rioter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rioter. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rioter,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rioter.

Source: rioter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.