roister

present singular third person roisters · participle present roistering · participle past roistered · past roistered · alternative royster

1. intransitiveTo engage in noisy, drunken, or riotous behaviour.

   He loved Rick and gave the best years of his life, now to roistering with him, now to hanging on to his coat-tails.

   1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy

   1 more example

   Then Elzevir cried out angrily, 'Silence. Are you mad, or has the liquor mastered you? Are you Revenue-men that you dare shout and roister? or contrabandiers with the lugger in the offing, and your life in your hand. You make noise enough to wake folk in Moonfleet from their beds.'

   [1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC

   Synonyms: carouse, revel, riot

2. intransitiveTo walk with a swaying motion.

   Synonyms: swagger

plural roisters · alternative royster

1. archaicA roisterer.

   The youth who had joined the roisters, was apparently about eighteen[…]

   1839, The New Monthly Magazine, page 411

   1 more example

   He now suspected that the grave roysters of the mountain had put a trick on him, and having dosed him with liquor, had robbed him of his gun.

   1819 June 23, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “Rip Van Winkle”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., number I, New York, N.Y.: […] C[ornelius] S. Van Winkle, […], →OCLC, page 77

2. archaicA session of noisy, drunken, or riotous behaviour.

   The servants went out on the roister after getting paid.