noun
rabble
RA-buhl
noun
1
A disorderly, unruly crowd of people.
"Security struggled to hold back the rabble outside the stadium gates."
2
A dismissive term for ordinary or common people, viewed as beneath one's notice.
"The aristocrat referred to the townsfolk as "the rabble.""
How to Use Rabble
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA messy, disorderly crowd — often used with contempt for ordinary people en masse.
When to use it
Almost always negative or condescending in tone.
Common pairings
rabble-rouser
an unruly rabble
Word Forms
rabbled past tense, rabbled past tense, rabbles plural, rabbles plural, rabbles singular, rabbles singular
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Security struggled to hold back the _____ outside the stadium gates.
Etymology
From Middle English rablen, meaning to ramble or speak incoherently — the sense shifted from confused talk to a confused, unruly mass of people.