cockroach
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of cockroach
1615–25; < Spanish cucaracha, of uncertain origin, assimilated by folk etymology to cock 1, roach 2
Explanation
A cockroach is a large insect that's a familiar urban pest. If you've got cockroaches in your apartment, you'll see them scatter when you flip on the light in your kitchen at night. Cockroaches have been around for hundreds of millions of years, and experts guess they might outlive humans. These hardy insects have adapted to so many threats over time that they're nearly indestructible today. For example, radiation that would kill you won't harm a cockroach. It's almost impossible to drown them (they can live for hours without oxygen), and they're immune to most of the poisons people use on them. Cockroach comes from the Spanish cucaracha, "beetle."
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.
As for animal metaphors, the squid has been joined by the cockroach.
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
In academia, the strategy of trapping customers is sometimes called the “roach motel,” she explained, a reference to a popular television ad from the late 1970s for a cockroach trap.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026
"Termites evolved from cockroach ancestors that started living inside and eating wood," said Professor Nathan Lo from the University of Sydney's School of Life and Environmental Sciences, a senior author on the paper.
From Science Daily • Jan. 31, 2026
Some readers imagine Kafka’s protagonist, Gregor Samsa, a hardworking salesman in a city that seems analogous to Kafka’s native Prague, has morphed into a cockroach.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
Apparently no one’s actually breathing, because it’s so quiet in the gym, you could hear a cockroach fart.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
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.
