cockroach
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of cockroach
1615–25; < Spanish cucaracha, of uncertain origin, assimilated by folk etymology to cock 1, roach 2
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
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
“I probably shouldn’t say this, but when you see one cockroach, there are probably more,” Dimon said.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 11, 2025
Olanna sat on a stool and carefully avoided looking at the cockroach eggs, smooth black capsules, lodged in all corners of the table.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
