noun
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the coarse indigestible constituents of food or fodder, which provide bulk to the diet and promote normal bowel function See also dietary fibre
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any rough or coarse material
Etymology
Origin of roughage
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.
The effects of fibre were first discovered in the 1970s, when it was believed that fibre was just "hard roughage stuff" that helped our bodies get rid of waste, explains Whelan.
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026
They eat a lot of plant material and roughage.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
It's a time when we focus on our "beach bodies": We're in and out of the gym and then right over to our favorite restaurant for that big bowl of summer roughage.
From Salon ● Dec. 31, 2021
His diet includes mostly carbohydrates, "nightshade" vegetables, MSG, and coffee, for legumes, whole grains, roughage, and a small percent of lean meat.
From Fox News ● Jan. 27, 2021
The geese will eat a considerable amount of this which thus helps to supply the roughage which they need.
From Ducks and Geese by Harry M. Lamon
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.
