Standard Lemma guide

rant

noun · verb · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation, US: /ɹænt/
  • British, Northern-England, Southern, Standard: /ɹant/
  • SSB Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Scotland, Wales: /ɾant/
  • Australian: /ɹæːnt/
  • New-Zealand: /ɹɛnt/
  • rhymes with -ænt
  • rhymes with -ɑːnt
  • CMU ARPABET: R AE1 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A criticism done by ranting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A wild, emotional, and sometimes incoherent articulation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A type of dance step usually performed in clogs, and particularly (but not exclusively) associated with the English North West Morris tradition. The rant step consists of alternately bringing one foot across and in front of the other and striking the ground, with the other foot making a little hop.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To disseminate one's own opinions in a—typically—one-sided, strong manner.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Harry was ranting about his boss again, but nobody paid any attention.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To criticize by ranting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To speak extravagantly, as in merriment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To dance rant steps.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

pompous or pretentious talk or writing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bombast, fustian, claptrap, blah

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: grandiosity, magniloquence, ornateness, grandiloquence, rhetoric

10

noun

Meaning 10

a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: harangue, ranting

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: declamation

Narrower terms: screed

11

verb

Meaning 11

talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mouth off, jabber, spout, rabbit on, rave

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: talk, speak, utter, mouth, verbalize, verbalise

History

Etymology

From Dutch ranten, randen (“to talk nonsense, rave”), from Middle Dutch ranten (“to rant, babble, goof around”), of uncertain origin; but apparently related to Middle High German ranzen (“to dance, jump around, frolic”), German ranzen (“to be ardent, be in heat, copulate, mate, ramble, join up”).

Across languages

Translations

84 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Czech: tiráda — criticism
  • Dutch: tirade — criticism
  • Finnish: vuodatus — criticism
  • Finnish: palopuhe — criticism
  • Finnish: kiihotuspuhe — criticism
  • German: Rant — criticism
  • Italian: declamazione — criticism
  • Polish: tyrada — criticism
  • Portuguese: criticismo — criticism
  • Russian: тирада (tirada) — criticism
  • Serbo-Croatian: deklamacija — criticism
  • Slovak: hejtovanie — criticism
  • Slovak: hejt — criticism
  • Spanish: invectiva — criticism
  • Spanish: diatriba — criticism
  • Spanish: filípica — criticism
  • Dutch: geraas — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • Dutch: holle frasen — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • Finnish: paatos — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • Finnish: rähinä — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • Finnish: kiihko — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • German: Geschrei — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • German: Wutanfall — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • German: Poltern — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • Italian: farneticamento — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • Māori: tupehau — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • Māori: tīhāhā — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • Polish: żołądkowanie się — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • Polish: pieklenie się — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • Polish: tyrada — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • Russian: гневная тирада — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • Serbo-Croatian: deklamacija — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • Slovak: výlev — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • Spanish: despotrique — incoherent and emotional articulation
  • Albanian: Rëndo — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Albanian: Rano — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Czech: křičet — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Czech: rozkřikovat se — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Dutch: schetteren — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Dutch: uitvaren — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Dutch: declameren — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Finnish: paasata — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Finnish: pauhata — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Finnish: rähjätä — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Galician: esbardallar — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Galician: latricar — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Galician: botar a lingua a pastar — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Galician: farfallar — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • German: poltern — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Italian: strepitare — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Italian: farneticare — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Latin: dēbacchor — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Māori: tīhāhā — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Māori: hakahaka — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Māori: tupehau — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Russian: негодова́ть (negodovátʹ) — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Sicilian: jastimiari — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Sicilian: sdillirijari — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Sicilian: straparrari — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Slovak: hejtovať — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Slovak: vylievať si zlosť — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Slovak: vyliať si zlosť — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Spanish: despotricar — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Swedish: gorma — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Turkish: bağırmak — to speak or shout at length in uncontrollable anger
  • Albanian: Rendon — to criticise by ranting
  • Dutch: oreren — to criticise by ranting
  • Finnish: paasata — to criticise by ranting
  • Finnish: pauhata — to criticise by ranting
  • Finnish: rähjätä — to criticise by ranting
  • French: râler — to criticise by ranting
  • Galician: farfallar — to criticise by ranting
  • Galician: esbardallar — to criticise by ranting
  • Galician: latricar — to criticise by ranting
  • Italian: declamare — to criticise by ranting
  • Italian: sciorinare — to criticise by ranting
  • Polish: produkować się — to criticise by ranting
  • Portuguese: desabafar — to criticise by ranting
  • Sicilian: sdillirijari — to criticise by ranting
  • Sicilian: straparrari — to criticise by ranting
  • Slovak: hejtovať — to criticise by ranting
  • Spanish: vilipendiar — to criticise by ranting
  • Spanish: echar pestes — to criticise by ranting
  • Spanish: despotricar — to criticise by ranting