1
a
: a support on which birds rest
b
: a place where winged animals and especially birds customarily roost
2
: a group of birds roosting together
roosted; roosting; roosts
1
: to settle down for rest or sleep : perch
2
: to settle oneself as if on a roost
: to supply a roost for or put to roost
Synonyms
Examples of roost in a Sentence
Verb
Pigeons roost on the building's ledge.
pigeons flying home to roost on the roof
Recent Examples on the Web
Geraldine Castro, WIRED, 6 Apr. 2024
Some popular urban roosts host more than 100,000 crows each night.
—Tove Danovich, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2024
Roosting Area The majority of waste generated inside the coop will fall directly under the main roost bar where the chickens sleep at night.
—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
Wood ducks will come to a roost site, often a marsh, in the evening by the hundreds.
—Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, 15 Feb. 2024
The martins gather to form huge communal roosts at several sites in both Carolinas.
—Taylor Piephoff, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Big brown bats are not under a conservation status and roost in caves, mines and structures in the winter.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2024
Collect dry needles and add to your roost bedding, or just leave tree/branches in the run as a new roosting spot that will also provide insulation and wind protection during the colder months.
—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 2 Jan. 2024
By the end, a second round of voting determined that Royal Hen had to leave the roost, so Thicke got to put that Gloria Steinem guess to one final use.
—EW.com, 18 Oct. 2023
Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
Macaws, budgies and other birds got quiet and roosted up high, which is nighttime behavior.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
Gambel’s quail typically roost off the ground in brush or trees, dropping down to feed early and late to stay out of the heat, searching for food in coveys of a dozen or so birds.
—Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, 28 Mar. 2024
Reacting as if nighttime had suddenly set in, birds may prematurely roost, and nocturnal creatures could emerge from their hiding spots.
—Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
That could explain why Yaren has roosted near Mr. Yilmaz’s house year after year, Mr. Donduren said.
—Safak Timur Ivor Prickett, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Bats, for instance, can roost by the tens of thousands.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 26 Mar. 2024
Because bats are social animals that tend to roost together and form colonies, rabies spreads easily among them.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2023
The birds roost on the braided river’s sandbars at night, then take to the skies at sunup and head toward neighboring corn fields.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Feb. 2024
Noun
In Bharatpur, India, under short twilight in 1995, scientists reported night herons leaving their daytime roosts.
—Geraldine Castro, WIRED, 6 Apr. 2024
Some popular urban roosts host more than 100,000 crows each night.
—Tove Danovich, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2024
Roosting Area The majority of waste generated inside the coop will fall directly under the main roost bar where the chickens sleep at night.
—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
Wood ducks will come to a roost site, often a marsh, in the evening by the hundreds.
—Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, 15 Feb. 2024
The martins gather to form huge communal roosts at several sites in both Carolinas.
—Taylor Piephoff, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Big brown bats are not under a conservation status and roost in caves, mines and structures in the winter.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2024
Collect dry needles and add to your roost bedding, or just leave tree/branches in the run as a new roosting spot that will also provide insulation and wind protection during the colder months.
—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 2 Jan. 2024
By the end, a second round of voting determined that Royal Hen had to leave the roost, so Thicke got to put that Gloria Steinem guess to one final use.
—EW.com, 18 Oct. 2023
Verb
The best animal of the day was the perfect bald eagle at Cleveland’s Museum of Natural History, roosting high in his enclosure, taking in the morning sunlight and warmth, heedless of the fact that the source of that light would, before the afternoon was out, be obscured.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
Macaws, budgies and other birds got quiet and roosted up high, which is nighttime behavior.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
Gambel’s quail typically roost off the ground in brush or trees, dropping down to feed early and late to stay out of the heat, searching for food in coveys of a dozen or so birds.
—Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, 28 Mar. 2024
Reacting as if nighttime had suddenly set in, birds may prematurely roost, and nocturnal creatures could emerge from their hiding spots.
—Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
That could explain why Yaren has roosted near Mr. Yilmaz’s house year after year, Mr. Donduren said.
—Safak Timur Ivor Prickett, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Bats, for instance, can roost by the tens of thousands.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 26 Mar. 2024
Because bats are social animals that tend to roost together and form colonies, rabies spreads easily among them.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2023
The birds roost on the braided river’s sandbars at night, then take to the skies at sunup and head toward neighboring corn fields.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'roost.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Roost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roost. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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