roach

1 of 4

noun (1)

plural roach also roaches
1
: a silver-green European freshwater cyprinid fish (Rutilus rutilus)
also : any of various related fishes (such as some shiners)
2
: any of several American freshwater sunfishes (family Centrarchidae)

roach

2 of 4

noun (2)

1
: a curved cut in the edge of a sail to prevent chafing or to secure a better fit
2
: a roll of hair brushed straight back from the forehead or side of the head

roach

3 of 4

verb

roached; roaching; roaches

transitive verb

1
: to cut so that the remainder stands upright
roach a horse's mane
2
: to cause to arch
specifically : to brush (the hair) in a roach
often used with up

roach

4 of 4

noun (3)

1
2
: the butt of a marijuana cigarette

Examples of roach in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Of the 10 dead roaches, eight were under a cookline fryer. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 After Dupray and others complained of unsanitary conditions, roaches and unlocked trash rooms, in recent weeks management found a solution: Now the trash rooms are locked, requiring the seniors to take their garbage downstairs instead of using the trash chutes. Judith Prieve, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024 In addition, 30 dead roaches were found on the floor and in the wine cooler bar area. Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 23 Feb. 2024 On the latest episode of Fox reality show Stars on Mars, the celebs encountered a dead roach while cleaning their communal living space on the faux Red Planet. Jillian Sederholm, EW.com, 27 June 2023 Under that table, the inspector counted eight roach corpses. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2024 As Variety reported, 40 minutes after the roach made its debut, it was sadly stepped on. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 25 Jan. 2024 One of these eateries, Italian staple Umberto’s Restaurant & Pizza in Pompano Beach, grappled with its third shutdown in two weeks thanks to persistent roach problems. Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 16 Jan. 2024 Three dead roaches were under the three-compartment sink. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 9 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'roach.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English roche, from Anglo-French roche, rosse

Noun (2)

origin unknown

Noun (3)

by shortening

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1794, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1803, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

1822, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of roach was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near roach

Cite this Entry

“Roach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roach. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

roach

1 of 2 noun
plural roach also roaches
: any of various fishes including some sunfishes and shiners

roach

2 of 2 noun

Medical Definition

roach

noun

More from Merriam-Webster on roach

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