to erupt into riot
1
7.9
- phrasal verb
:
estallar en disturbios
- Don't erupt into riot!
Examples
-
The peaceful demonstration unexpectedly erupted into riot when tensions escalated.
-
After the verdict, the protest erupted into riot as anger grew among the crowd.
-
Authorities acted quickly when the soccer fans began to erupt into riot at the stadium.
-
The crowd suddenly erupted into riot after the announcement.
-
The crowd erupted into riot after the controversial decision was announced.
-
Tensions rose throughout the city, and soon several neighborhoods erupted into riot.
-
When the news broke, people began to gather, and soon the peaceful protest erupted into riot.
Synonyms
579
2.8
To burst suddenly and violently, making a loud noise and flying pieces
123
4.2
To suddenly start in a strong or violent way, often showing strong feeling
51
4.4
To become suddenly more intense, often about anger or violence
26
4.9
To join a violent crowd and damage property or fight police
23
4.7
To become suddenly stronger or worse, often for a short time
16
8.1
A sudden time of chaos and confusion that spreads quickly
7
4.1
To make a place or situation very messy and confused
2
5.8
Behave in a wild way without control
1
7.9
A sudden time when many people lose control and chaos starts
Sudden noisy chaos starts
Antonyms
How Violent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to suddenly become violent or chaotic' is directly derivable from combining 'erupt' (to burst forth suddenly), 'into' (expressing a change of state), and 'riot' (violent public disorder). This compositional pattern (e.g. 'erupt into X') is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would likely infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Erupt into riot uses the image of a sudden burst: erupt, meaning to break out suddenly, and riot, meaning a crowd in chaos, like a calm protest that suddenly turns violent. So it means 'to suddenly become violent or chaotic'.