roust

American

[roust] / raʊst /

verb (used with object)

to rout, as from a place.

to roust someone out of bed.

roust British

/ raʊst /

verb

to rout or stir, as out of bed

"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

Etymology

Origin of roust

First recorded in 1650–60; perhaps alteration of rouse ¹

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.

I’d be the guy who falls asleep at 10, waking when authorities shine spotlights and blare Kenny G songs at my house to roust me out to vote.

From Slate • Jan. 26, 2024

Advocates for the homeless ardently protest efforts to roust the encampments, arguing that people have nowhere else to go.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2022

Asking the cops to roust them out of the building would have been terrible optics.

From Salon • May 1, 2022

The officers rushed to roust nearby residents out of their homes and clear the avenue.

From New York Times • Jan. 1, 2022

How else would the night watchman know when to roust his fellows out of their comfortable straw beds to begin the day’s devotions?

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023