1 B1 idiomatic informal
To make a person angry, irritated, or upset.
"Stop trying to rile him up — he's already had a hard day."
separable
rile up
B2 informal separable transitive
To make someone angry, agitated, or emotionally excited.
In plain English
To make someone really annoyed or worked up — to get them all angry and stirred up.
What does "rile up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic informal
To excite or provoke a group of people emotionally, especially a crowd or political base.
"The politician knew exactly how to rile up the crowd with his controversial statements."
“
He knows how to rile up a crowd.
— Common description used in US political journalism, e.g. The Washington Post campaign coverage (2016–2020)
separable
Usage tip
Common in American English. Often used in the passive: 'he got all riled up'. Can describe irritating an individual or stirring up a crowd emotionally, including for political or dramatic effect.
Words that pair with "rile up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
crowd audience base fans voters emotions
How to conjugate "rile up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
rile up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
riles up
he/she/it
Past simple
riled up
yesterday
Past participle
riled up
have + pp
-ing form
riling up
continuous
Hear "rile up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "rile up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "rile up"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.