rave1
/reɪv
/verb [no object]
1Talk incoherently, as if one were delirious or mad: Nancy’s having hysterics and raving about a black ghost...
- The Prime Minister raved incoherently: ‘I see myself as the big fat spider in the corner of the room.’
- The Pythia would rave and babble incoherently.
- When he succeeded in waking us up, we had been completely incoherent, raving about caves and pigeons and dark unspeakable evil.
Synonyms
talk wildly, babble, jabber, ramble, maunder;
talk incoherently, be delirious
1.1Address someone in an angry, uncontrolled way: [with direct speech]: ‘Never mind how he feels!’ Melissa raved...
- Sure, the lyrics are angry, bitter, raving, mad, obscene, and a 1000 other adjectives, but they don't change my opinion.
- He was then standing in the street ranting and raving and my dad asked him to move out the way, and the guy said he would be back.
- Mr Welling said: ‘The defendant telephoned her and he was abusive, ranting and raving.’
Synonyms
rant, rant and rave, rage, explode in anger, lose one's temper, be beside oneself, storm, fulminate, deliver a tirade/harangue, go into a frenzy, lose control;
shout, roar, thunder, bellow;
be very angry, be furious, be enraged, be incensed, fume
informal fly off the handle, flip one's lid, blow one's top, go up the wall, blow a fuse, go off the deep end, hit the roof, go through the roof, be livid, have a fit, lose one's cool, go mad, go bananas, go wild, freak out, have steam coming out of one's ears, foam/froth at the mouth, go ape, be fit to be tied
British informal go spare, go crackers
North American informal flip one's wig
vulgar slang go apeshit
2Speak or write about someone or something with great enthusiasm or admiration: New York’s critics raved about the acting...
- That said, nearly all the guests I spoke to raved about their excursions, claiming they were the highlight of their holiday.
- Salthouse had the critics raving about their last album ‘Dream by Day’.
- Critics are already raving about the new Channel Four programme ‘Shameless’, which hits the screen tonight.
Synonyms
praise enthusiastically, go into raptures about/over, wax lyrical about, sing the praises of, praise to the skies, heap praise on, rhapsodize over, enthuse about/over, gush about/over, throw bouquets at, express delight over, acclaim, eulogize, extol
informal go wild about, be mad about, go on about
British informal big someone/something up
North American informal ballyhoo
dated cry someone/something up
rare laud, panegyrize
3 informal Attend a rave party: they used to rave together—then they started working together...
- Viewers watch aliens rave at a dance party, float off into space while fireworks explode, and witness a fiery kaleidoscope descending from overhead.
- We remember one party near Jerusalem, thousands of people were raving like hell inside an ancient cave.
- Beat it out and we pulse together, it's a wonder we don't rave daily.
noun
1 [usually as modifier] informal An extremely enthusiastic recommendation or appraisal: their tour received rave reviews...
- And though his realistic and hard-hitting film has won some rave reviews, Tigmanshu is certainly not resting on his laurels.
- Performing at the Cotton Club, the girls won rave reviews from critics.
- It is listed on the Australian and US stock markets and has won rave reviews for its financial performances.
Synonyms
enthusiastic/lavish praise, a rapturous reception, tribute, plaudits, encomiums, bouquets;
acclaim, applause
very enthusiastic, rapturous, glowing, ecstatic, full of praise, rhapsodic, laudatory, eulogistic, panegyrical, excellent, highly favourable
1.1A person or thing that inspires intense and widely shared enthusiasm: last year’s fave raves are back for a live performance...
- Our fave rave vampire doesn't make an appearance until rather late in the game.
1.2British informal, dated A passionate and usually transitory infatuation: they are like little girls of eleven—they have raves
2 informal A lively party involving dancing and drinking: their annual fancy-dress rave
2.1A very large party or similar event with dancing to loud, fast electronic music: [as modifier]: rave culture...
- I've been into raves and electronic music since the early '90s, and I can tell you that there is no other music scene that can boast this.
- The music at this event had not been as loud as at previous raves.
- There were more performance-enhancing drugs going down than at an all-night rave.
Synonyms
warehouse party, acid house party
informal all-nighter
2.2 [mass noun] Electronic dance music of the kind played at a rave: the album is an eleven-track journey through rave and techno...
- Rather than defining genres, Skinner explores them, intersecting garage and hip-hop with rave, reggae, and even a twinge of bedsit indie.
- It's got techno, trance, rave, hip hop, and lots of other types of music in the different mixes.
- Music was up beat, perfect for dancing, mixing with techno, rave, electric and pop.
Derivatives
ravey
- In the lone house between the station and Farnworth Cemetary, a ravey party was in full swing.
- Latin rhythms and ravey synths find a middle ground between the tribal delirium of Gang Gang Dance and the good-times disco-funk of Friendly Fires.
- Indeed, by the end of the weekend the bassy, ravey Skream remix of In for the Kill will become one of the tunes you just can't avoid at Sonar.
Origin
Middle English (in the sense 'show signs of madness'): probably from Old Northern French raver; related obscurely to Middle Low German reven 'be senseless, rave'.
Rhymes
rave2
/reɪv/noun
1A rail of a cart.
1.1 (raves) A permanent or removable framework added to the sides of a cart to increase its capacity.
Origin
Mid 16th century: variant of the synonymous dialect word rathe, of unknown origin.