Meaning & use
ranting and raving
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformaldisapproving
Shouting and complaining at length in an angry or wild way, often without much reason or effect.
Grammar: The two words stay together in this order: he was ranting and raving, not raving and ranting.
Patterns
- be ranting and raving about something
- keep ranting and raving
He spent an hour ranting and raving about the parking ticket.
Stop ranting and raving and tell me what actually happened.
The coach was ranting and raving on the sideline for the whole second half.
Common combinations
- go on ranting and raving
- He went on ranting and raving long after everyone stopped listening.
- spend ages ranting and raving
- She spent ages ranting and raving about the broken heater.
- ranting and raving about something
- Dad was ranting and raving about the bill.
- stop ranting and raving
- Please stop ranting and raving and let me explain.
- hear someone ranting and raving
- We could hear the neighbor ranting and raving through the wall.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fuming
- Fuming describes the anger itself, which may be silent, while ranting and raving always involves loud speech.
- storming about
- Storming about stresses angry movement around a place, not just words.
- going on
- Going on is milder and means talking too long, not necessarily with fury.
- carrying on
- Carrying on suggests fuss and drama and is gentler than ranting and raving.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: ranting and raving or raving about?
ranting and raving vs raving about
Raving about something can be positive, as in raving about a film, but ranting and raving is always angry.
Practice
Which meaning best fits: 'The customer was ranting and raving at the counter.'?
Choose one answer.
Ranting and raving means angry, noisy complaint. Praise is a possible meaning of rave alone, but not in this fixed phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ranting and raving”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.