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roost

[ roost ]
/ rust /
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See synonyms for: roost / roosted / roosting on Thesaurus.com

noun
a perch upon which birds or fowls rest at night.
a large cage, house, or place for fowls or birds to roost in.
a place for sitting, resting, or lodging.
verb (used without object)
to sit or rest on a roost, perch, etc.
to settle or stay, especially for the night.
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Idioms about roost

    come home to roost, (of an action) to revert or react unfavorably to the doer; boomerang: an evil deed that came home to roost and ruined his life.
    rule the roost, to be in charge or control; dominate: It was only too apparent that his grandfather ruled the roost.

Origin of roost

before 1100; Middle English roost (noun), Old English hrƍst; cognate with Middle Dutch roest

OTHER WORDS FROM roost

un·roost·ed, adjectiveun·roost·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use roost in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for roost (1 of 2)

roost
/ (ruːst) /

noun
a place, perch, branch, etc, where birds, esp domestic fowl, rest or sleep
a temporary place to rest or stay
rule the roost See rule (def. 20)
verb
(intr) to rest or sleep on a roost
(intr) to settle down or stay
come home to roost to have unfavourable repercussions

Word Origin for roost

Old English hrƍst; related to Old Saxon hrost loft, German Rost grid

British Dictionary definitions for roost (2 of 2)

Roost
/ (ruːst) /

noun
the Roost a powerful current caused by conflicting tides around the Shetland and Orkney Islands

Word Origin for Roost

C16: from Old Norse röst
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with roost

roost

see chickens come home to roost; rule the roost.

The American HeritageŸ Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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