roasted; roasting; roasts
1
a
: to cook by exposing to dry heat (as in an oven or before a fire) or by surrounding with hot embers, sand, or stones
roast a potato in ashes
b
: to process a raw coffee bean by drying, heating to temperatures typically between 380-450° F (190-230° C) for seven to twenty minutes, and quickly cooling to room temperature to achieve a desired level of roast (see roast entry 2 sense 3)
… roasting coffee brings out flavor, aroma, and character; it also evaporates moisture.—
Lisa Kolb Ruland
Lisa Kolb Ruland2
: to heat to excess
roasted by the summer sun
3
: to subject to severe criticism or ridicule
The film was roasted by critics and isn't fondly remembered …—John Fox
John Fox4
: to honor (a person) at a roast (see roast entry 2 sense 5)
5
metallurgy
: to heat (inorganic material) in air and without fusing (as to oxidize sulfides or eliminate volatile matter)
Zinc is refined from its ore by roasting finely crushed zinc blende … in a furnace.—Daniel A. Brandt
Daniel A. Brandt1
: to cook food by heat
Once you've tossed the potatoes in your chosen fat, you're ready to roast.—Fionnula Hainey
Fionnula Hainey2
: to undergo the process of being roasted
left the potatoes in the oven to roast
—often used figurativelyWe roasted in the stuffy classroom.
plural roasts
2
: a gathering at which food is roasted before an open fire or in hot ashes or sand
was invited to a pig roast
3
: the distinctive quality or character of a coffee bean that typically includes its darkness, aroma, and flavor and is determined by the degree of roasting (see roast entry 1 sense 1b)
The difference in coffee roasts is in their levels of oil, caffeine, and acidity.—Clark Nowlin
see also dark roast, light roast, medium roast
Clark Nowlin4
: an act or instance of severe banter or criticism
… did not hold back in his roast of Washington politics …, saving jabs for both parties.—Kaanita Iyer
Kaanita Iyer5
: a banquet honoring a person who is subjected to humorous tongue-in-cheek ridicule by friends
Tennis ace Boris Becker wasn't on the dais at the North Miami celebrity roast of aging bad boy Ilie Nastase, so he could observe the rites with a certain detachment.—Tim Allis
Tim Allis
Synonyms
Examples of roast in a Sentence
Verb
The chicken is roasting in the oven.
We roasted the peanuts over the fire.
The peanuts roasted over the fire.
We were roasting in the hot sun.
The movie is being roasted by the critics.
Noun
She made a roast for dinner.
We're having pork roast for dinner.
Recent Examples on the WebAllison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 10 Apr. 2024
The cute camper comes with Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto figures, plus a fun camping setup with sleeping bags, a cooking set, s’mores roasting supplies, and a little campfire.
—Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 4 Apr. 2024
These establishments often roast and sell their own beans and blends of espresso.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 3 Apr. 2024
Vegetarian options: Guacamole, seasonal s’mores roasted on tabletop grills or (possibly) the soup of the day.
—Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 1 Apr. 2024
Season and roast the potatoes Tip the potatoes into a roasting tin, toss them with 50ml cornichon brine, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper, then roast for 15 minutes.
—Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2024
The entire buffet adds leg of lamb, ham and roast chicken, oysters, shrimp cocktail and ceviche, plus sides and salads.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2024
The chemical is virtually undetectable in a brewed cup of decaf coffee, which is roasted at high temperatures after being decaffeinated.
—Nicholas Florko, STAT, 28 Mar. 2024
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting.
—Lynda Balslev, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024
Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 5 Apr. 2024
Start with the Galician-style octopus, cooked with olive oil, paprika and potatoes ($23.95), and follow it with the roast suckling pig, with crackling skin and juicy meat ($74.95), and a rich chocolate soufflé ($15.95) for dessert.
—Luisita Lopez Torregrosa, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The weekday spread includes roast meats, a dozen desserts, and name-brand ingredients like Joël Dupuch oysters and Eric Ospital charcuterie.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
One was thin, as if it had been pounded, and the other looked like a miniature rump roast.
—PCMAG, 27 Mar. 2024
The meal included pâté, intricate desserts and, most notably, a roast chicken stuffed with a lobster.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024
To translate the flavors and textures of a Cantonese-style roast hog into a dish that home cooks can recreate, this Siu Yuk (Cantonese Roast Pork) recipe uses a slab of pork belly and a mostly hands-off oven-and-broiler method.
—Condé Nast, Bon Appétit, 20 Mar. 2024
While the practice of the roast duck originated in China, at his former place of employment, in Chatuchak’s Or Tor Kor market, Vongfanikul altered the style to more closely reflect Thai flavor and presentation with vinegar sauces, seasoning and other tweaks.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
The woman who used to bring the chicken and roast pork to offer to the dead moved to Texas last year after the death of her husband, a longtime leader in the Chinese community.
—Michael Laris, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
Kate Kassin, Bon Appétit, 7 Sep. 2023
Thick slices of roast paan form a hearty base for a fuss-free sandwich eaten on the go.
—Vidya Balachander, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Aug. 2023
The Menu: Starters included Lambay Island crab cake and asparagus, while Biden was treated to duck fat fondant potato, rainbow carrots, pea and mint puree, sherry vinegar lamb jus, roast saddle of lamb and confit lamb shoulder as main courses.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2023
My mom made roast beef hash with hers.
—Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Aug. 2022
Tallying nearly 35 million TikTok followers since joining the platform right before the pandemic hit, Ramsay uses his account to both hilariously roast TikTokers' culinary disasters and tap into viral food trends.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 14 Nov. 2022
The options are egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, ham and Swiss, turkey club, Italian and roast beef.
—Susan Dunne, courant.com, 27 Jan. 2022
Christmas specials to include roast goose shanks, as well as the full regular menu.
—Carol Deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9 Dec. 2021
The 10 smart Programs are roast, stew, bake, steam, slow cook, sear/sauté, rice, yogurt, ferment and warm.
—Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 11 Nov. 2021
Verb
One study showed that boiling vegetables led to the lowest retention rates for vitamin C, particularly in chard.
Cooking methods including roasting, grilling, stir frying, and microwaving help to retain vitamins and other healthy nutrients in food.
—Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 10 Apr. 2024
The cute camper comes with Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto figures, plus a fun camping setup with sleeping bags, a cooking set, s’mores roasting supplies, and a little campfire.
—Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 4 Apr. 2024
These establishments often roast and sell their own beans and blends of espresso.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 3 Apr. 2024
Vegetarian options: Guacamole, seasonal s’mores roasted on tabletop grills or (possibly) the soup of the day.
—Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 1 Apr. 2024
Season and roast the potatoes Tip the potatoes into a roasting tin, toss them with 50ml cornichon brine, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper, then roast for 15 minutes.
—Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2024
The entire buffet adds leg of lamb, ham and roast chicken, oysters, shrimp cocktail and ceviche, plus sides and salads.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2024
The chemical is virtually undetectable in a brewed cup of decaf coffee, which is roasted at high temperatures after being decaffeinated.
—Nicholas Florko, STAT, 28 Mar. 2024
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting.
—Lynda Balslev, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024
Noun
The all-day restaurant, Le Crocodile, serves fresh-baked pastries at breakfast, salads and sandwiches during lunch, and satisfying dinners like roast chicken.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 5 Apr. 2024
Start with the Galician-style octopus, cooked with olive oil, paprika and potatoes ($23.95), and follow it with the roast suckling pig, with crackling skin and juicy meat ($74.95), and a rich chocolate soufflé ($15.95) for dessert.
—Luisita Lopez Torregrosa, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The weekday spread includes roast meats, a dozen desserts, and name-brand ingredients like Joël Dupuch oysters and Eric Ospital charcuterie.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
One was thin, as if it had been pounded, and the other looked like a miniature rump roast.
—PCMAG, 27 Mar. 2024
The meal included pâté, intricate desserts and, most notably, a roast chicken stuffed with a lobster.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024
To translate the flavors and textures of a Cantonese-style roast hog into a dish that home cooks can recreate, this Siu Yuk (Cantonese Roast Pork) recipe uses a slab of pork belly and a mostly hands-off oven-and-broiler method.
—Condé Nast, Bon Appétit, 20 Mar. 2024
While the practice of the roast duck originated in China, at his former place of employment, in Chatuchak’s Or Tor Kor market, Vongfanikul altered the style to more closely reflect Thai flavor and presentation with vinegar sauces, seasoning and other tweaks.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
The woman who used to bring the chicken and roast pork to offer to the dead moved to Texas last year after the death of her husband, a longtime leader in the Chinese community.
—Michael Laris, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
Adjective
There will be roast duck with flaky scallion tortillas in the style of fajitas and an onsite smoker turning out Chinese sticky ribs.
—Kate Kassin, Bon Appétit, 7 Sep. 2023
Thick slices of roast paan form a hearty base for a fuss-free sandwich eaten on the go.
—Vidya Balachander, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Aug. 2023
The Menu: Starters included Lambay Island crab cake and asparagus, while Biden was treated to duck fat fondant potato, rainbow carrots, pea and mint puree, sherry vinegar lamb jus, roast saddle of lamb and confit lamb shoulder as main courses.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2023
My mom made roast beef hash with hers.
—Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Aug. 2022
Tallying nearly 35 million TikTok followers since joining the platform right before the pandemic hit, Ramsay uses his account to both hilariously roast TikTokers' culinary disasters and tap into viral food trends.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 14 Nov. 2022
The options are egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, ham and Swiss, turkey club, Italian and roast beef.
—Susan Dunne, courant.com, 27 Jan. 2022
Christmas specials to include roast goose shanks, as well as the full regular menu.
—Carol Deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9 Dec. 2021
The 10 smart Programs are roast, stew, bake, steam, slow cook, sear/sauté, rice, yogurt, ferment and warm.
—Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 11 Nov. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'roast.' 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
Verb
Middle English rosten, from Anglo-French rostir, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German rōsten to roast
First Known Use
Verb
13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of roast was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing roast
Articles Related to roast
Dictionary Entries Near roast
Cite this Entry
“Roast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roast. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
roast
1 of 3 verb1
: to cook with dry heat (as in an oven)
2
: to be or make very hot
3
: to criticize severely in either a serious or joking way
roast
2 of 3 noun1
: a piece of meat roasted or suitable for roasting
2
: an outing at which food is roasted
3
: severe criticism or kidding
roast
3 of 3 adjective
: cooked by roasting
roast beef
roast pork
More from Merriam-Webster on roast
Nglish: Translation of roast for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of roast for Arabic Speakers
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