roast

[rohst]

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

1. to roast meat or other food.

2. to undergo the process of becoming roasted.

noun

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

/ 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

noun

1. something that has been roasted, esp meat

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of roast¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of roast¹

C13: from Old French rostir , of Germanic origin; compare Middle Dutch roosten to roast

Example Sentences

The rest of the menu is just as impressive, featuring Argentine empanadas with a variety of fillings, provoleta — a gooey roasted cheese — pastas, prosciutto served with melon, and multiple potato sides.

From Salon

Stephen Colbert roasted Disney with a very funny parody video.

From Los Angeles Times

Mediterranean Loaded Fries: Crispy fries topped with garlicky tahini drizzle, roasted chickpeas, crumbled feta, chopped olives, cherry tomatoes and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

From Salon

It arrived with more irreverence, roasted garlic for spreading before the tomato smear.

From Salon

The grass and flowers are used as decoration for the ceremonies during which the beans are roasted over an open fire, ground and then brewed in a clay pot.

From BBC