raves 1 of 2

noun

plural of rave
as in applause
enthusiastic and usually public expression of approval the books have received even more raves from parents than from the kids they were written for

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

raves

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of rave
1
as in gushes
to make an exaggerated display of affection or enthusiasm she raved about the Mother's Day breakfast of cold coffee and burnt toast that her young children had proudly set before her

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2
as in huffs
to talk loudly and wildly a man stood outside city hall raving like a lunatic about his tax bill

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of raves
Noun
In Bushwick, the industrial spaces outside Manhattan that once attracted artists are now increasingly rented for all-night raves, co-working spaces, or even converted into a members’ only club. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 27 Aug. 2026 In a video posted by the league on social media, White raves about Surtain’s do-it-all ability at cornerback. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 24 Aug. 2026 And in 2025, Fawn Bluff opened to raves (FB and Clayoquot both landed on RR’s 50 greatest luxury hotels list this year). — Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 20 Aug. 2026 Heavy Metal earned raves for its unruly combination of intimate songwriting, feverish emotion and left-field ambition, and the Carnegie Hall performance put that material in a setting almost comically grand enough to match its scale. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 19 Aug. 2026 Mazzoli shifts themes to a darker register as addiction takes hold and the music turns to electronica by DJ Blume and Lorna Dune for teenagers’ raves, mixed into the Scottish Opera Orchestra. — ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026 The film is Certified Fresh at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Dominic Sessa receiving raves for his star turn as the young Bourdain. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 9 Aug. 2026 The Odyssey has garnered both critical and audience raves and has already topped $700 million at the box office—more than enough to cover its $250 million production budget and surpassing Oppenheimer‘s entire haul. — ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 2026 McFadden doesn’t mention if Robinson is the one who led him to the raves. — Harry Levin, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
Verb
Her research started with the usual suspects of nightlife lore — 1920s Paris, 1970s disco and 1990s raves. — Lina Lecaro, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026 My mom raves about Vuori loungewear, and there’s currently a pair of the brand’s airy, feather-soft wide-leg pants on sale for 25 percent off. — Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 8 Aug. 2026 Aemond raves about his horrible older brother who spent their youth tormenting him. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026 One of those people is Chiappetta, who raves about the example Mally is setting for Naperville North. — Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026 Amazon has deals on the exact brands the multi-hyphenate wears and raves about, plus pieces pulled straight from her playbook (cough, her Instagram, cough). — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 3 July 2026 Everyone around the Wolverines raves about the intensity and effort that Johnson brought to the court every day. — Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 26 June 2026 Sure, every fashion expert and social media stan account raves about her unbeatable approach to method dressing with longtime stylist Law Roach, but not enough people seem to appreciate how wearable the 29-year-old superstar’s couture looks can be. — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 25 June 2026 And as proven over my own repeat visits – and through customer raves on review sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor and a feature on Diner, Drive-Ins and Dives – the fish-and-chips is not a solo act. — Katie Langford, Denver Post, 7 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for raves
  1. applause
  2. gushes
  3. rants
  4. ovation
  5. rhapsodizes
  6. praise
  7. enthuses
  8. cheering
Noun
  • One of the more surreal responses to that experience is applause, which ripples through the audience of Paranormal Activity a beat after all the major scares, like rain settling in after a peal of thunder.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Yadkin board’s moratorium decision was met by applause from the packed room.
    — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of applause
Verb
  • Meyers, an almost parodic vision of an old soul, gushes praise in unfashionably complete sentences.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Clarkson gushes while the pair — both shedding tears — embrace.
    — Lydia Price, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026
Definition of gushes
Verb
  • And his ultimate war is with Bob, a tech CEO who rants about his haters and has gotten rich off rebranded snake oil and whose obvious corruption has been obscured by his self-mythologizing.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
  • One grumbles when the driver rants about development’s ravages.
    — Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 10 Aug. 2025
Definition of rants
Noun
  • The Japanese-French-language drama premiered to an 11-minute standing ovation at Cannes and went on to win a Best Actress prize for both of its stars, Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026
  • On Saturday, Pete received a standing ovation from members of the Navajo Nation who were in the stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
    — Rustin Dodd, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of ovation
Verb
  • Donghwa—who’s revealed to be thirty-five—rhapsodizes about Oryeong’s devotion, and filial piety over all, although (and, perhaps, because) his own family bonds are strained.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2026
Definition of rhapsodizes
Noun
  • There has been widespread praise about the upward arc of Thieneman’s growth.
    — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The lawsuit says the decision was unlawful, unsupported by facts and inconsistent with the military’s past praise of Claude.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of praise
Verb
  • Towelie enthuses amid shots of a town overrun by the military.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2025
Definition of enthuses
Noun
  • The crowd erupted, some cheering and others brought to tears, a collective wave of emotion rolling over us as the sky went dark.
    — Annissa Durar, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The kitchen men restarted their cheering as if someone in there was doing stage magic, and Uncle Jimmy leaned closer so he could be heard.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of cheering

Browse Nearby Words

ravens
raves
ravine
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Cite this Entry

“Raves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raves. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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