room
Americannoun
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a portion of space within a building or other structure, separated by walls or partitions from other parts.
a dining room.
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rooms, lodgings or quarters, as in a house or building.
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the persons present in a room.
The whole room laughed.
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space or extent of space occupied by or available for something.
The desk takes up too much room.
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opportunity or scope for something.
room for improvement; room for doubt.
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status or a station in life considered as a place.
He fought for room at the top.
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capacity.
Her brain had no room for trivia.
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Mining. a working area cut between pillars.
verb (used without object)
noun
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space or extent, esp unoccupied or unobstructed space for a particular purpose
is there room to pass?
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an area within a building enclosed by a floor, a ceiling, and walls or partitions
sitting room
dining room
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(functioning as singular or plural) the people present in a room
the whole room was laughing
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(foll by for) opportunity or scope
room for manoeuvre
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(plural) a part of a house, hotel, etc, that is rented out as separate accommodation; lodgings
she got rooms in town
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a euphemistic word for lavatory
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of room
First recorded before 900; Middle English roum(e), Old English rūm; cognate with Dutch ruim, German Raum
Explanation
A room is a space in a house or building that's usually enclosed with walls. Your favorite room in your house might be the den where the TV is, or the cozy kitchen. There's the physical area called a room, and then there's the concept of room, which can mean "space" or "opportunity." If you have room in your life for a puppy, it means you can make the time to walk it and feed it and play with it. If you have room in your bedroom for a puppy, it means you have the physical space you need for a dog bed.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It didn’t take long for the secretary of state to declare that the Brady Briefing Room was chaos.
From Salon • May 8, 2026
The East Room in the White House, which is used for that, is not an enormous room.
From Slate • May 7, 2026
Lincoln meets with the press in the Red Room.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
May 4 at the Ice House California Room, 9:30 p.m.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026
In December, things in Room 26 really began to change.
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
