riot

riot

I

ri‧ot¹ /ˈraɪət/ noun1. [countable] a situation in which a large crowd of people are behaving in a violent and uncontrolled way, especially when they are protesting about something:
    urban riots
    prison riots
    His murder triggered vicious race riots (=caused by a problem between different races).
    police wearing riot gear (=the special clothing and equipment worn by police officers during a riot)
    police in bullet-proof vests and carrying riot shields (=a piece of very hard plastic which police officers stand behind to protect them)
2. run riot
  a. if your imagination, emotions, thoughts etc run riot, you cannot or do not control them:
    Manufacturers have let their imaginations run riot to create new computer games.
  b. if people run riot, they behave in a violent, noisy, and uncontrolled way:
    Some people let their children run riot.
  c. if a plant runs riot, it grows very quickly
3. a riot of colour something with many different bright colours:
    The garden is a riot of colour in spring.
4. read (somebody) the riot act to give someone a strong warning that they must stop causing trouble – used humorously:
    If the kids don’t settle down soon, I’ll go up and read them the riot act.
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ verbs
   ▪ cause a riot When the election results were announced, it caused riots in the capital.
   ▪ spark off a riot (=make it start) The incident sparked off a riot which lasted for three days.
   ▪ quell a riot (=use force to stop it) The police marched in to quell the riots.
   ▪ a riot begins/breaks out/erupts Riots broke out last month following the verdict.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + riot
   ▪ a prison riot The prison riots were caused by bad physical conditions and poor security.
   ▪ race riots (=caused by a problem between different races) In 1967, there were race riots in a number of major American cities.
   ▪ urban/inner-city riots The urban riots forced the Government to invest in the inner cities.
   ▪ a serious/major riot The jail was hit by a serious riot last year.
   ▪ a full-scale riot (=a serious riot, not only a little fighting) The disturbance escalated into a full-scale riot.
■ riot + NOUN
   ▪ riot police The city deployed riot police to contain the demonstration.
   ▪ the riot squad (=a group of police who deal with riots) Then someone called the riot squad. | Demonstrators clashed with 140 riot squad officers, drawn from the police and the British army.
   ▪ riot gear (=special clothing worn by police dealing with a riot) Almost 1,000 officers, many in riot gear, were needed to restore order.
   ▪ a riot shield (=a plastic shield used by a police officer) The police moved in on the demonstration using riot shields and tear gas.
   ▪ riot control All officers are trained in riot control.
     

THESAURUS

■ when people hit or attack each other
   ▪ fight a situation in which people hit or attack each other because of an argument, or as a sport: He had a fight with an older boy. | the famous fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman
   ▪ battle a fight between opposing armies or groups of people: The English king was killed at the Battle of Hastings. | a battle between two rival gangs
   ▪ scuffle a short fight that is not very violent: There was a short scuffle with the police, but no arrests were made.
   ▪ punch-up British English informal a fight in which people hit each other because of an argument: The game turned into a punch-up.
   ▪ brawl a noisy fight between a group of people: He was hurt in a drunken brawl.
   ▪ altercation formal a short noisy argument or fight, especially one that is not serious: There was a brief altercation and someone called the police.
   ▪ riot a fight involving a large number of people, especially people who are protesting about something: The book provoked riots all over Europe.

II

riot² verb [intransitive]
if a crowd of people riot, they behave in a violent and uncontrolled way, for example by fighting the police and damaging cars or buildings:
    University students rioted in protest at tuition fees.
—rioting noun [uncountable]
—rioter noun [countable]
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ protest to do something to show publicly that you disagree with something – used especially when a large group of people do this together: Huge crowds gathered in the capital protesting against the war. | Drivers blocked roads around the capital to protest about the rising cost of fuel.
   ▪ march to walk in a large group from one place to another in order to protest about something: Hundreds of students marched through the city in protest against the employment laws.
   ▪ demonstrate to walk or stand somewhere in a large group, in order to protest about something: About 200 people were demonstrating outside the US Embassy. | Environmentalists have been demonstrating against plans to dump waste at sea.
   ▪ riot to protest by behaving in a violent and uncontrolled way: Hundreds of workers rioted after pay negotiations broke down. | The prisoners were rioting agianst their appalling conditions.
   ▪ boycott to protest about the actions of a company, country, or industry by refusing to buy something, or refusing to go to a place or event: They may boycott the next Olympic Games. | Shoppers are boycotting battery-farmed eggs.
   ▪ hold/stage a sit-in to protest by refusing to leave a place: The students have been staging a sit-in to protest about overcrowding at the polytechnic.
   ▪ go on a hunger strike (also go on hunger strike British English) to protest by refusing to eat: Maynard went on a hunger strike to protest his innocence.