rook
1 Americannoun
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a black, European crow, Corvus frugilegus, noted for its gregarious habits.
-
a sharper at cards or dice; swindler.
verb (used with object)
-
rooks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rooked,
past participle, past
-
rooking
present participle
noun
noun
-
a large Eurasian passerine bird, Corvus frugilegus , with a black plumage and a whitish base to its bill: family Corvidae (crows)
-
slang a swindler or cheat, esp one who cheats at cards
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
rooksimple
-
rookssimple
-
have rookedperfect
-
has rookedperfect
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am rookingprogressive
-
are rookingprogressive
-
is rookingprogressive
-
have been rookingperfect progressive
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has been rookingperfect progressive
Past
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rookedsimple
-
had rookedperfect
-
was rookingprogressive
-
were rookingprogressive
-
had been rookingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rook1
First recorded before 900; Middle English rok(e), Old English hrōc; cognate with Old Norse hrōkr, Old High German hruoh
Origin of rook2
1300–50; Middle English rok < Old French roc < Arabic rukhkh < Persian rukh
Explanation
A rook is a crow-like black bird that lives in northern Europe. To rook someone is to trick them, like a sneaky old crow. And in chess, the rook is the piece that looks like a tower or a castle. You can tell the difference between a rook and a crow, which are both members of the bird family Corvus, by the pale skin around a rook's bill in front of its eyes and the shaggy feathers around its legs. Urban rooks, like their crow cousins, prefer areas near human activity where they can scavenge food — although they also eat earthworms and insects. You're most likely to see rooks in northern Europe, Iceland, and parts of Scandinavia (or on a chess board :) .
Vocabulary lists containing rook
A Vocabulary Bestiary: Animals That Behave as Verbs
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Check It Out, Mate: Chess Vocabulary
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The Poet X
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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.
See Examples For:
“If I move my knight here, my opponent will move their rook here, and then I’ll have to…” This is an invaluable skill for life.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
But on the 55th move, Ding committed a fatal blunder – moving his rook into a position to be taken.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2024
At the far end of one row, Officer Richard Kruse claimed an easy victory over Jessie Milo after knocking his rook out with a bishop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2024
Ne3 — White only gets a rook and minor piece for the queen, but his rook on d8 locks up Black’s queenside and allows the kingside mating attack to proceed.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 19, 2023
And now I can recall the picture of the grey old house of God rising calm before me, of a rook wheeling round the steeple, of a ruddy morning sky beyond.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
They are mostly rooks and jackdaws, which are locally-protected species.
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2024
Now, it seems the poison wasn't consumed by rodents - but by rooks and crows.
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2024
There’s a scene for every type of player, whether you’re looking for a frenetic round of speed chess à la Beth and Benny in “The Queens Gambit” or a mellow conversation over rooks and bishops.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2023
Bishop learned chess the old-fashioned way, with a family chessboard and by experimenting with the board pieces: pawns, bishops, knights, rooks, queens and kings.
From Seattle Times ● May 11, 2023
Birdsong was breaking out all round and the rooks were calling from high in the elms, but nothing—not even a sparrow—moved on the ground.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
The downside is that some cities and towns got rooked.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2021
He was the 12th Rangers player to make his MLB debut this season, and the club-record 25th rooked used by Texas.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 27, 2021
That doesn’t sound like much, but compared to players like Francesco Molinari and Hideki Matsuyama, who have around the same win probability, you’re getting rooked on that number.
From Golf Digest ● Mar. 6, 2019
So don’t be shocked or feel rooked when you spy an actor or two onstage with script in hand.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 8, 2019
She had endured being ruthlessly rooked, with but little murmuring, as do so many of her patient class, accustomed to be the prey of each unit in the large congregation of the modern Fates.
From Flames by Robert Smythe Hichens
New York Jets rooking quarterback Zach Wilson makes an incredible touchdown run and the rest of the best plays from week 16 of the NFL.
From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2021
McDermott said rooking starting right tackle Spencer Brown is expected to return after missing two games with a back injury.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 12, 2021
Lewis showed promise as a rooking in creating pressure off the edge, getting two sacks in 124 defensive snaps.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 10, 2021
But after more than a decade of rooking the world, finally realized he was down to one move on the chessboard – confessing.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 17, 2013
"But Hay should be exposed," insisted Sandal; "he's been rooking me, I do believe, for months."
From The Opal Serpent by Fergus Hume
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
