room

1 of 2

noun

ˈrüm  ˈru̇m 

1

: an extent of space occupied by or sufficient or available for something

room to run and play

Can we make/find room for one more?

see also elbow room, headroom, legroom, standing room

2

a

obsolete : an appropriate or designated position, post, or station

b

: place, stead

… in whose room I am now assuming the pen …

—Sir Walter Scott

3

a

: a partitioned part of the inside of a building usually serving a designated purpose

especially : such a part in a house, hotel, etc. used for sleeping

b

: the people in a room

The whole room cheered.

4

: a suitable or fit occasion or opportunity : chance

no room for doubt

room for improvement

roomed

ˈrümd 

ˈru̇md

adjective

room

2 of 2

verb

roomed; rooming; rooms

intransitive verb

: to occupy or share a room especially as a lodger

transitive verb

: to accommodate with lodgings

Synonyms of room

Noun

• space
• place
• way

Verb

• house
• accommodate

Examples of room in a Sentence

Noun

Cigarette smoke filled the room.

I could hear the TV from the next room.

He rents rooms to college students.

We're running out of room in the office.

The sofa takes up too much room.

In the backyard there is enough room to run and play.

Is there enough room to turn the car around?

There's only room for five people in the car.

Don't eat too much. You should leave some room for dessert.

There's no more room on the computer disk to save the file.

Verb

we can room up to four visitors in our two guest bedrooms

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Determining how to spend the film’s attention budget was always a conversation in the editing room, between Jarecki, Kaufman, Marsella, and additional collaborators and advisors. —Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 12 Nov. 2025

My research shows that real change happens not in viral TikToks but in drab meeting rooms — the phones-down, notebooks-out work of local governance. —Big Think, 12 Nov. 2025

Verb

With a couple of frontcourt weapons back and room to grow offensively, Illinois looks to use this home game to fine-tune before tougher matchups arrive. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025

The urban environment necessitated close-quarters combat as Marines moved from house to house and room to room in a city unfamiliar to them. —David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 8 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English rūm; akin to Old High German rūm room, Latin rur-, rus open land

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1809, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing room

• back room
• banquet room
• bedsitting room
• birthing room
• boiler room
• box room
• break room
• changing room
• chat room
• city room
• clean room
• coffee room
• common room
• composing room
• consulting room
• counting room
• cutting room
• delivery room
• dining room
• drawing room
• dressing room
• elbow room
• elephant in the room
• emergency room
• escape room
• examining room
• family room
• fitting room
• front room
• great room
• guest room
• gun room
• keeping room
• living room
• locker room
• lumber room
• mail room
• men's room
• on the cutting-room floor
• operating room
• powder room
• ready room
• reception room
• recovery room
• recreation room
• room and board
• room for maneuver
• room service
• room temperature
• rumpus room
• sea room
• sitting room
• smoke-filled room
• smoking room
• squad room
• standing room
• strong room
• throne room
• tiring-room
• utility room
• waiting room
• war room
• weight room
• white room
• wiggle room
• withdrawing room
• women's room
• work a room

Rhymes for room

• blume
• boom
• broom
• doom
• flume
• fume
• gloom
• glume
• groom
• loom
• plume
• rheum

Kids Definition

room

1 of 2 noun

ˈrüm  ˈru̇m 

1

: space used or available for something

houseplants that take up little room

enough room to run and play

2

a

: a part of the inside of a building that is divided off

b

: such a part used as a lodging

3

: the people in a room

4

: a suitable opportunity : chance

room for improvement

room

2 of 2 verb

: to live in or share a room as a lodger

Medical Definition

room

noun

ˈrüm  ˈru̇m 

: a partitioned part of the inside of a hospital

especially : a space for lodging patients