n. | 1. | Wanton or unrestrained behavior; uproar; tumult. | |||
2. | Excessive and exxpensive feasting; wild and loose festivity; revelry. | ||||
3. | (Law) The tumultuous disturbance of the public peace by an unlawful assembly of three or more persons in the execution of some private object.
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v. i. | 1. | To engage in riot; to act in an unrestrained or wanton manner; to indulge in excess of luxury, feasting, or the like; to revel; to run riot; to go to excess. | |||
2. | (Law) To disturb the peace; to raise an uproar or sedition. See Riot, | ||||
v. t. | 1. | To spend or pass in riot. |
Noun | 1. | ![]() Synonyms: public violence |
2. | ![]() Synonyms: rioting | |
3. | riot - a joke that seems extremely funny | |
4. | riot - a wild gathering involving excessive drinking and promiscuity | |
Verb | 1. | riot - take part in a riot; disturb the public peace by engaging in a riot; "Students were rioting everywhere in 1968" |
2. | riot - engage in boisterous, drunken merry-making; "They were out carousing last night" |
RIOT, crim. law. At common law a riot is a tumultuous disturbance of the
peace, by three persons or more assembling together of their own authority,
with an intent, mutually to assist each other against any who shall oppose
them, in the execution of some enterprise of a private nature, and
afterwards actually executing the same in a violent and turbulent manner, to
the terror of the people, whether the act intended were of itself lawful or
unlawful.
2. In this case there must be proved, first, an unlawful assembling;
for if a number of persons lawfully met together; as, for example, at a
fire, in a theatre or a church, should suddenly quarrel and fight, the
offence is an affray and not a riot, because there was no unlawful
assembling; but if three or more being so assembled, on a dispute occurring,
they form into parties with promises of mutual assistance, which promises
may be express, or implied from the circumstances, then the offence will no
longer be an affray, but a riot; the unlawful combination will amount to an
assembling within the meaning of the law. In this manner any lawful assembly
may be converted into a riot. Any one who joins the rioters after they have
actually commenced, is equally guilty as if he had joined them while
assembling.
3. Secondly, proof must be made of actual violence and force on the
part of the rioters, or of such circumstances as have an apparent tendency
to force and violence, and calculated to strike terror into the public mind.
The definition requires that the offenders should assemble of their own
authority, in order to create a riot; if, therefore, the parties act under
the authority of the law, they may use any necessary force to enforce their
mandate, without committing this offence.
4. Thirdly, evidence must be given that the defendants acted in the
riot, and were participants in the disturbance. Vide 1 Russ. on Cr. 247 Vin.
Ab. h.t.; Hawk. c. 65, s. 1, 8, 9; 3 Inst. 176; 4 Bl. Com. 146 Com. Dig.
h.t.; Chit. Cr. Law, Index, h.t. Roscoe, Cr. Ev. h.t.