raring

UK: /ˈrɛərɪŋ/ US: /ˈrɛrɪŋ/ ,(râr′ing)

From the verb rare: (⇒ conjugate)

raring is: ⓘ

v pres p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

rar•ing /ˈrɛrɪŋ/   adj. [be + ~ + to  + verb]

1. Informal Terms very eager or anxious;
   enthusiastic:
   They were raring to go.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

rar•ing  (râr′ing), adj. [Informal.]

1. Informal Terms very eager or anxious;
   enthusiastic:
   raring to go.

• rare³ + -ing² 1905–10

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

raring / ˈrɛərɪŋ/ adjective

1. ready; willing; enthusiastic (esp in the phrase raring to go)

Etymology: 20th Century: from rare, variant of rear²

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

rare¹ /rɛr/   adj., rar•er, rar•est. 

1. very uncommon:
   a rare disease.
2. light;
   thin;
   having the parts not tightly packed together:
   The air was rare in the mountains.
3. unusually great:
   [before a noun] a rare display of courage.

rare•ness, n. [uncountable]

rare² /rɛr/   adj., rar•er, rar•est. 

1. cooked so as to be still red on the inside:
   rare steak.

rare•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

rare¹  (râr), adj., rar•er, rar•est. 

1. coming or occurring far apart in time;
   unusual;
   uncommon:
   a rare disease; His visits are rare occasions.
2. thinly distributed over an area;
   few and widely separated:
   Lighthouses are rare on that part of the coast.
3. having the component parts not closely compacted together;
   not dense:
   rare gases; lightheaded from the rare mountain air.
4. unusually great:
   a rare display of courage.
5. unusually excellent;
   admirable;
   fine:
   She showed rare tact in inviting them.

• Latin rārus loose, wide apart, thin, infrequent
• Middle English 1350–1400

rare′ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. exceptional, extraordinary, singular.
• 2. sparse, infrequent.
• 5. choice, incomparable, inimitable.

Antonyms

• 1. common.
• 2. frequent.
• 5. inferior.

rare²  (râr), adj., rar•er, rar•est. 

1. (of meat) cooked just slightly:
   He likes his steak rare.

• variant of earlier rear, Middle English rere, Old English hrēr lightly boiled 1645–55

rare′ness, n. 

rare³  (râr), v.i., rared, rar•ing. [Older Use.]

1. Slang Terms rear² (def. 6).

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

rare / rɛə/ adjective

1. not widely known; not frequently used or experienced; uncommon or unusual: a rare word
2. not widely distributed; not generally occurring: a rare herb
3. (of a gas, esp the atmosphere at high altitudes) having a low density; thin; rarefied
4. uncommonly great; extreme: kind to a rare degree
5. exhibiting uncommon excellence; superlatively good or fine: rare skill

Etymology: 14th Century: from Latin rārus sparse

ˈrareness noun

rare / rɛə/ adjective

1. (of meat, esp beef) very lightly cooked

Etymology: Old English hrēr; perhaps related to hreaw raw