roommate
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of roommate
Explanation
Someone who shares a dorm room or an apartment with you is your roommate. Even if you live in a big house, the people who share it with you — and split the rent — are your roommates. If you live in a dormitory when you go to college, you'll probably have at least one roommate, and even after college it's common to share an apartment or house with roommates. You can call the campers in your cabin at summer camp roommates, though you could also call them cabin mates. The word roommate was a late eighteenth century American English invention.
Vocabulary lists containing roommate
List 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 9
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
“My college roommate could be watching in South Carolina,” said longtime Democratic strategist Bill Carrick, who worked on former Mayor Eric Garcetti’s 2017 reelection campaign.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
I moved to China for three and a half years, taking full advantage of the local happy hours, dabbling in fine dining and even splitting the cost of a housekeeper with my roommate.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026
The police acted on a suspect description given to police in 2010 by the roommate of one victim, Amber Costello, after she had a run-in with a client.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
That’s what Auf der Maur’s roommate told her the night she came home after thinking that she had offered a sincere but thoughtful declination to the suggestion that she become the bass player in Hole.
From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026
Later, Kathy would tell me that while she wasn’t arrested, her roommate, Pat, was among those who were.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
