rook

¹ American  

[rook] / rʊk /

noun

1. a black, European crow, Corvus frugilegus, noted for its gregarious habits.

2. a sharper at cards or dice; swindler.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cheat; fleece; swindle.

rook ² American  

[rook] / rʊk /

noun

Chess.

1. one of two pieces of the same color that may be moved any number of unobstructed squares horizontally or vertically; castle.

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rook ¹ British  

/ rʊk /

noun

1. a large Eurasian passerine bird, Corvus frugilegus , with a black plumage and a whitish base to its bill: family Corvidae (crows)

2. slang a swindler or cheat, esp one who cheats at cards

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verb

1. slang (tr) to overcharge, swindle, or cheat

rook ² British  

/ rʊk /

noun

1. Also called: castle.  a chesspiece that may move any number of unoccupied squares in a straight line, horizontally or vertically

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Etymology

Origin of rook¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English rok(e), Old English hrōc; cognate with Old Norse hrōkr, Old High German hruoh

Origin of rook²

1300–50; Middle English rok < Old French roc < Arabic rukhkh < Persian rukh

Explanation

A rook is a crow-like black bird that lives in northern Europe. To rook someone is to trick them, like a sneaky old crow. And in chess, the rook is the piece that looks like a tower or a castle. You can tell the difference between a rook and a crow, which are both members of the bird family Corvus, by the pale skin around a rook's bill in front of its eyes and the shaggy feathers around its legs. Urban rooks, like their crow cousins, prefer areas near human activity where they can scavenge food — although they also eat earthworms and insects. You're most likely to see rooks in northern Europe, Iceland, and parts of Scandinavia (or on a chess board :) .

Example Sentences

Criticks, do your worst, that here are met; For, like a Rook, I have hedged in my Bet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

This isn’t the first time this kind of attitude has followed Ishii’s attachment to a game; last year, they were one of the voice options for Rook, the lead character in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

From Slate • Oct. 11, 2025

"She just has such incredible physical stamina, mental toughness and just sheer determination to go out and do these extreme efforts," said Anne-Marije Rook, North America editor at Cycling Weekly magazine.

From BBC • Sep. 11, 2024

Thanks to the late Ian Holm’s face being digitally superimposed over that of Daniel Betts, we’re primed to recognize that Rook is up to no good.

From Salon • Aug. 26, 2024

And West Riding itself was a world away from Rook Hill, which was small and sleepy and content to be nothing more than that.

From "Ash" by Malinda Lo