Raucous parties are wild and crazy. Don't let your party get too raucous, or your neighbors will get so annoyed by the noise that they'll call the police.
Raucous voices, and raucous singing and shouts and cheers, are so loud and crazy that you might want to cover your ears. Have you ever been to a raucous concert? It's full of noise, with stomping, clapping, singing, and shouting from thousands of people.
People can be raucous, too. When I rode the school bus as a kid, the back of the bus was where all the raucous kids hung out. The bus driver would yell at them to sit down and shut up. But they wouldn't.
By the way, "raucous" is almost exactly the same word as "ruckus." They sound the same, and they mean the same thing. But while "raucous" (spelled R-A-U-C-O-U-S) is an adjective, "ruckus" (spelled R-U-C-K-U-S) is a noun. We talk about raucous kids, raucous places, and raucous parties. And we talk about people making a ruckus, raising a ruckus, or causing a ruckus. If you're trying to study while you're at a raucous concert, it won't work! You can't concentrate with all that ruckus.
The crazy thing about the homophones "raucous" and "ruckus" is that they probably aren't related! The adjective, "raucous," is older and comes from a Latin word meaning "hoarse: having shouted so much that your throat hurts." But the noun, "ruckus," is newer and comes from American slang. Anyway, just remember: raucous people are making a lot of noise, and a ruckus is a lot of noise.
Make a flash card:
You can write your own definition and choose your own picture, or copy mine.
Term
Definition
Picture
raucous
making a lot of noise in a fun, wild way
Write your own sentence!
You can use either of the two ideas I'll suggest, or you can invent your own. Include as much detail as you can!
Remember: raucous people, places, and sounds are loud and totally out of control.
Idea 1: "The (playground, cafeteria, gym, kitchen, back yard or other place) is raucous, packed with people (laughing, singing, or doing something else that makes noise)."
Idea 2: "We erupted in raucous laughter when (something really silly or crazy happened)."
Enroll in "Make Your Point, Jr." for one-on-one tutoring.
By the way, "raucous" is almost exactly the same word as "ruckus." They sound the same, and they mean the same thing. But while "raucous" (spelled R-A-U-C-O-U-S) is an adjective, "ruckus" (spelled R-U-C-K-U-S) is a noun. We talk about raucous kids, raucous places, and raucous parties. And we talk about people making a ruckus, raising a ruckus, or causing a ruckus. If you're trying to study while you're at a raucous concert, it won't work! You can't concentrate with all that ruckus. 