roost

American  

[roost] / rust /

noun

1. a perch upon which birds or fowls rest at night.

2. a large cage, house, or place for fowls or birds to roost in.

3. a place for sitting, resting, or lodging.

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verb (used without object)

1. to sit or rest on a roost, perch, etc.

2. to settle or stay, especially for the night.

idioms

1. rule the roost, to be in charge or control; dominate.

   It was only too apparent that his grandfather ruled the roost.

2. 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.

roost ¹ British  

/ ruːst /

noun

1. a place, perch, branch, etc, where birds, esp domestic fowl, rest or sleep

2. a temporary place to rest or stay

3. See rule

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verb

1. (intr) to rest or sleep on a roost

2. (intr) to settle down or stay

3. to have unfavourable repercussions

Roost ² British  

/ ruːst /

noun

1. a powerful current caused by conflicting tides around the Shetland and Orkney Islands

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roost More Idioms  

1. see chickens come home to roost; rule the roost.

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Other Word Forms

• unroosted adjective
• unroosting adjective

Etymology

Origin of roost

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

Example Sentences

The bat roosts are costing £166,000 and are part of the £372m major road upgrades which are due to be completed at the Gloucestershire junction over the next three years.

From BBC

Chicken thighs are roosting in recipes from high-end wellness resorts for top spenders and in the grocery carts of average consumers who are increasingly steering toward poultry because of record-high beef prices in recent months.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Now the chickens are coming home to roost."

From Barron's

They would roost on the stove each night to stay warm as the fire died down.

From Literature

Long ago she had strung that rope across the eaves for them to roost.

From Literature