- (formerly in England) a statute of 1715 by which persons committing a riot had to disperse within an hour of the reading of the act by a magistrate
- read the riot act to someone ⇒ to warn or reprimand someone severely
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
Ri′ot Act′,
- World Historyan English statute of 1715 providing that if 12 or more persons assemble unlawfully and riotously, to the disturbance of the public peace, and refuse to disperse upon proclamation they shall be considered guilty of felony.
- read (someone) the riot act:
- to reprimand;
censure:The principal read them the riot act for their behavior at the assembly. - to give (someone) a sharp warning.
- to reprimand;
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Riot Act n
'Riot Act' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):