room

American  

[room, room] / rum, rʊm /

noun

1. a portion of space within a building or other structure, separated by walls or partitions from other parts.

   a dining room.

2. rooms, lodgings or quarters, as in a house or building.

3. the persons present in a room.

   The whole room laughed.

4. space or extent of space occupied by or available for something.

   The desk takes up too much room.

5. opportunity or scope for something.

   room for improvement; room for doubt.

   Synonyms:

   allowance, margin, provision

6. status or a station in life considered as a place.

   He fought for room at the top.

7. capacity.

   Her brain had no room for trivia.

8. Mining. a working area cut between pillars.

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verb (used without object)

1. to occupy a room or rooms; lodge.

room British  

/ ruːm, rʊm /

noun

1. space or extent, esp unoccupied or unobstructed space for a particular purpose

   is there room to pass?

2. an area within a building enclosed by a floor, a ceiling, and walls or partitions

   sitting room

   dining room

3. (functioning as singular or plural) the people present in a room

   the whole room was laughing

4. (foll by for) opportunity or scope

   room for manoeuvre

5. (plural) a part of a house, hotel, etc, that is rented out as separate accommodation; lodgings

   she got rooms in town

6. a euphemistic word for lavatory

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verb

1. (intr) to occupy or share a room or lodging

   where does he room?

room Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing room

• not enough room to swing a cat
• take up space (room)

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Other Word Forms

• roomer noun
• underroom noun

Etymology

Origin of room

First recorded before 900; Middle English roum(e), Old English rūm; cognate with Dutch ruim, German Raum

Example Sentences

There are also many things it isn’t: no bright green garlands, no mixing of plaids in the same room, and no gift bags under the tree.

From The Wall Street Journal

He added that the bass player "was able to laugh his way through any darkness" and was "the life and soul of any room he was in".

From BBC

For McKinnon, a steady stream of challenging opportunities made him realize there was ample room to grow at PeopleSoft, where he ended up staying for eight years.

From MarketWatch

I also think, in a locker room, you get familiar with communicating with all sorts of different people.

From The Wall Street Journal

The rooms that stayed with me long after I left were not always the most luxurious or expensively furnished.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accommodation
• apartment
• cabin
• cave
• chamber
• cubicle
• den
• lodging
• office
• suite