rant
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to speak or shout for a long time because you are angry or have a strong opinion.
v.to speak or declaim at length in an excited, impassioned, or angry manner, often without allowing others to interrupt.
Simple“He started to rant about the high price of coffee again.”
In context“The customer began to rant at the manager, listing every minor grievance he had experienced since entering the store.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'about'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a long, angry speech or piece of writing that complains about something.
n.a lengthy, emotional, and sometimes incoherent articulation of a grievance or opinion.
Simple“She went on a long rant about how much she hates modern technology.”
In context“His social media post was a three-page rant against the local council's new parking regulations.”
UsageCommonly used in the phrase 'go on a rant'.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
n.a specific type of energetic dance step used in traditional English folk dancing.
n.a rhythmic dance step involving crossing one foot in front of the other with a hop, characteristic of North West Morris dancing.
Simple“The dancers performed a traditional rant step during the festival.”
In context“The instructor spent the afternoon teaching the novices the intricacies of the rant step to ensure the Morris troupe remained in sync.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is highly specialised and restricted to folk dance contexts; most learners will only encounter the 'angry speech' meaning.
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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.