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.
Pest controllers have reported a rise in callouts to cockroach infestations in Cardiff, with one company regularly getting five or six reports a week.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
Dr George Beccaloni is an entomologist and cockroach expert.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
Eleven establishments were closed from April 16 to 23, nine for rodent or cockroach infestations, one for insufficient hot water and one for unapproved remodeling.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
After JPMorgan Chase boss Jamie Dimon used a cockroach analogy to warn about looming defaults, Nesbitt declared there were “No Cockroaches in Private Debt.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
Then she poked me in the back, like I was a cockroach, and I hissed.
From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
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.
