rooster
Americannoun
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the male of domestic fowl and certain game birds; cock.
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a representation of this bird, used as an emblem of the Democratic Party from 1842 to 1874.
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Informal. a cocky person.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of rooster
Explanation
A rooster is a male chicken. If your cute baby chick grows up to crow loudly first thing every morning, he's probably a rooster. The word rooster is an American invention, inspired by the rooster's habit of roosting, or standing up on a perch while sleeping or while on the lookout for danger. In the UK, a rooster is more likely to be called a cock or cockerel. In a flock of birds, the rooster's job is to defend the chickens and their nests from predators and other roosters.
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:
Wacky animal sidekicks once felt vibrant in a holistic world of artifice; here, a goggle-eyed rooster just looks diseased.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Mr. Chalamet, who is onscreen virtually nonstop and moves around it like a rooster on fire, can certainly turn on the charm when he wants to, as in “Wonka.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 24, 2025
The intricate tattoos of leopards, a stag, a rooster, and a mythical half-lion and half-eagle creature on the woman's body shed light on an ancient warrior culture.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2025
While he speaks to me from his home in Sierra Leone, a rooster crows in the background, punctuating his sentences like a barnyard hype man.
From Slate ● Mar. 26, 2025
Like a stringy rooster I am tougher than I look, but not tough enough to fight all of them.
From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads
Nearby were soft-toy footballers resembling Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, fluffy roosters in France polos and teddy bears in Spain kits.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
The gate is adorned with a sculpted round medallion of Oseguera’s trademark, two roosters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
A second confidential source placed a recorded call to a man who said he owns about 100 roosters, which he brought to California from Texas, according to the affidavit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2024
Heartwood Haven said in its post that Yakima County Animal Control, which was present when the roosters were killed this month, should have known about the group’s rescue efforts and willingness to take them in.
From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2024
It was green and red with a pattern of jongwe, or roosters.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
