roast

American  

[rohst] / roʊst /

verb (used with object)

• roasts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• roasted,
  past participle,  past
• roasting
  present participle

1. to bake (meat or other food) uncovered, especially in an oven.

2. to cook (meat or other food) by direct exposure to dry heat, as on a spit.

3. to brown, dry, or parch by exposure to heat, as coffee beans.

4. to cook or heat by embedding in hot coals, embers, etc..

   to roast chestnuts.

5. to heat excessively.

   The summer sun has been roasting the entire countryside.

6. Metallurgy. to heat (ore or the like) in air in order to oxidize it.

7. to warm at a hot fire.

   She roasted her hands over the fire.

8. Informal. to ridicule or criticize severely or mercilessly.

9. to honor with or subject to a roast.

   Friends roasted the star at a charity dinner.

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verb (used without object)

• roasts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• roasted,
  past participle,  past
• roasting
  present participle

1. to roast meat or other food.

2. to undergo the process of becoming roasted.

noun

• roasts
  plural

1. roasted meat or a piece of roasted meat, as a piece of beef or veal of a quantity and shape for slicing into more than one portion.

2. a piece of meat for roasting.

3. something that is roasted.

4. the act or process of roasting.

5. Informal. severe criticism.

6. a facetious ceremonial tribute, usually concluding a banquet, in which the guest of honor is both praised and good-naturedly insulted in a succession of speeches by friends and acquaintances.

7. an outdoor get-together, as a picnic or barbecue, at which food is roasted and eaten.

   a weenie roast.

adjective

1. roasted.

   roast beef.

roast British  

/ rəʊst /

verb

1. to cook (meat or other food) by dry heat, usually with added fat and esp in an oven

2. to brown or dry (coffee, etc) by exposure to heat

3. metallurgy to heat (an ore) in order to produce a concentrate that is easier to smelt

4. to heat (oneself or something) to an extreme degree, as when sunbathing, sitting before the fire, etc

5. (intr) to be excessively and uncomfortably hot

6. informal to criticize severely

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noun

1. something that has been roasted, esp meat

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overroast
  verb
• underroast
  verb (used with object)
• half-roasted
  adjective
• roastable
  adjective
• unroasted
  adjective
• well-roasted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• roasts
  plural

Participles

• roasting
  present
• roasted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• roast
  simple
• roasts
  simple
• have roasted
  perfect
• has roasted
  perfect
• am roasting
  progressive
• are roasting
  progressive
• is roasting
  progressive
• have been roasting
  perfect progressive
• has been roasting
  perfect progressive

Past

• roasted
  simple
• had roasted
  perfect
• was roasting
  progressive
• were roasting
  progressive
• had been roasting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will roast
  simple
• will have roasted
  perfect
• will be roasting
  progressive
• will have been roasting
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of roast

1250–1300; Middle English rosten (v.) < Old French rostir < Germanic; compare Dutch roosten, German rösten

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Explanation

Roast a turkey by cooking it in the oven. Roast a friend by calling her a turkey on her birthday. To roast can mean to cook, or to poke fun of someone as a way of honoring them. In cooking, slow, dry heat is used to roast things. When a cook roasts a piece of meat, you can call the meat itself a roast too. Another way to use this word is to mean “to make fun of someone,” like a toast but meaner and funnier. Comedians are known to roast each other, telling one joke after another mocking the person they're celebrating. This comes from an eighteenth century use of roast to mean "an unmerciful bantering."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

roast roasts roasted roasting

Before serving, apply a third coat and roast at 500 degrees for five minutes to set the color and crisp the skin.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026

Dad handed us the envelope at a Sunday dinner, with a pot roast going cold on the table because he wouldn’t let anyone eat until he’d made his speech.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

Will my children still be eating our lamb for their Sunday roast or in their baltis and bhunas in 25 years time?

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

I think it’s a perfect blend of broth and roast.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

“I like roast beef and mashed potatoes with homemade gravy and...hmm...carrots? No. Peas. No. Carrots.”

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King

Also called a cumulonimbus flammagenitus, they can occur during volcanic eruptions or, as in this case, when a wildfire roasts the air near the ground, causing it to rise quickly.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

"My agent still roasts me about the fact that I used to go to castings dressed in jeans and NYU T-shirts that I'd got for free," she told British Vogue in February.

From BBC ● May 9, 2026

A block roasts into something different: the edges bronze and go a little chewy; the center caters into creamy pockets you can smear through the pasta later.

From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2026

New featured cast member Culhane debuted on “Update” as Mr. On Blast, a roasting commentator with very light roasts and a lot of body language.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2026

Inside, a goose roasts in the oven and the black-and-white dog, Monty, waits under the table for scraps.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Other companies taking this approach include Win-Win in the U.K., which uses a mix of roasted grains in its cocoa substitute, and Prefer in Singapore, which uses a mix of seeds and grains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Voyage Foods’ product is made from roasted and ground grapeseeds left over from the winemaking industry, blended with sunflower protein flour, palm and shea oils, sugar and natural flavors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

The typically smug host appeared upset earlier this year at the Golden Globes when presenter Wanda Sykes roasted him and another nominee up for best performance in stand-up comedy on television, Ricky Gervais.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

This is a current variation on roasted tomato soup I’ve been making a lot recently: warmly spiced with garam masala, fennel and coriander, rounded out with miso and coconut cream.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

Moss had learned a few basic dishes by the time he was thirteen—burgers, oven-baked chicken, roasted vegetables, and, if he was feeling ambitious, a pretty dope meat loaf.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

Between two and four hours before roasting, fill a gallon zip-top bag with crushed ice, set it on the breast of the turkey resting on the counter, and secure it with twine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026

I also love tossing green cabbage with miso butter, roasting it until the edges begin to brown, and finishing it with lemony, toasted panko breadcrumbs.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

Tanden willingly participates in the roasting, and as a woman of color, she’s destined to be on the brunt end of the internet, but as far as she’s concerned, it’s all been worth it.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

Last month, two girls in San Diego County were airlifted to a burn center after flames went in their direction while they were roasting marshmallows on a device called Flikr Fire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

The air is filled with the scents of corn popping, peanuts roasting, and the tangy undertone of animal.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

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