noun
roost
roost
noun
1
The perch or spot where a bird settles to sleep, often a branch or a bar inside a coop.
"The hens filed onto the roost as the sun went down."
"A pigeon roost had formed under the old railway bridge."
verb
1
To settle somewhere to sleep or rest for the night, especially said of birds.
"Starlings roost by the thousand in that stand of trees."
"We found bats roosting in the barn rafters."
How to Use Roost
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA roost is where a bird sleeps, and to roost is to settle in for the night there.
Common mistake
The idiom "chickens coming home to roost" means past mistakes finally catching up with you — it has nothing to do with actual poultry.
Common pairings
come home to roost
a chicken roost
roost for the night
Word Forms
roosted past tense, roosts plural, roosts singular
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The hens filed onto the _____ as the sun went down.
Etymology
From Old English hrōst, meaning the wooden framework of a roof or perch — related to Dutch roest and German Rost ("grate").