1rabble1 (ˈræbəll
)
Definitions
noun
- a disorderly crowd; mob
- See the rabble
Word Origin
C14 (in the sense: a pack of animals): of uncertain origin; perhaps related to Middle Dutch rabbelen to chatter, rattleSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
commoners,
proletariat,
common people
riffraff,
crowd,
masses,
trash,
scum,
lower classes,
populace,
peasantry,
dregs,
hoi polloi,
the great unwashed,
canaille,
lumpenproletariat,
commonalty,
2rabble2 (ˈræbəll)
Definitions
noun
- Also called
rabbler an iron tool or mechanical device for stirring, mixing, or skimming a molten charge in a roasting furnace
verb
- (tr) to stir, mix, or skim (the molten charge) in a roasting furnace
Word Origin
C17: from French râble , from Latin rutābulum rake for a furnace, from ruere to rake, dig upUsage examples
Even if she had only half-expected to see a rabble of gossip columnists besieging the door, it was a relief to find that there wasn't one.
, The White Dove (1986)They show their gratitude by turning their masses of unemployed rabble into terrorists.
Maxim (2004)American occupation and sweet rhetoric, and a disorganised rabble of cut-throats that is a mixture of Saddam's ghost and the Taliban.
The Australian (2004)Frontline Japanese cops have been honing their martial arts skills to tackle England's notorious rabble.
Sun, News of the World (2002)But the world had decided not to act and so this rabble was free to murder at will.
, ALL OF THESE PEOPLE: A Memoir (2005)