What does "roast" mean?
A piece of meat suited to roasting; meat that has been roasted.
Roast
/ɹoʊst/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A piece of meat suited to roasting; meat that has been roasted.
- Grammar: roast is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: aspic, assail, attack, bake.
- Useful contrasts: boil, boiling, boils.
- Usage evidence: We all pigged out at the company Christmas party, especially on the roast beef.
How to use "roast"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "roast" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "roast" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "roast" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "roast" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "roast" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aspic" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "roast", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A piece of meat suited to roasting; meat that has been roasted.
"Near-synonym: joint"
- 2 negative criticism wordnet
- 3 A meal consisting of roast foods.
"Come over this weekend for Sunday roast."
- 4 a piece of meat roasted or for roasting and of a size for slicing into more than one portion wordnet
- 5 The degree to which something, especially coffee, is roasted.
"Dark roast means that the coffee bean has been roasted to a higher temperature and for a longer period of time than in light roast."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 An instance of being severely admonished, criticized, roasted.
"“He ain’t no good!” With this she steps back to the table where Miss Montague has just tired of the Cuban, slips her arms about that seraph’s waist, and says: “Your Frank is in Washington and my Jasper has just given me a roast. Reckon we’ll both have to be bachelor girls to-night.”"
- 7 A comical event, originally fraternal, where a person is subjected to verbal attack, yet may be praised by sarcasm and jokes.
- 8 A social event at which food is roasted and eaten. Canada, US
"On Memorial Day we hosted a wiener roast in the backyard."
- 9 A creative insult as a response to something someone said. slang
Verb
- 1 To cook food by heating in an oven or over a fire without covering, resulting in a crisp, possibly even slightly charred appearance. ergative, intransitive, transitive
"to roast meat on a spit"
- 2 cook with dry heat, usually in an oven wordnet
- 3 To cook by surrounding with hot embers, ashes, sand, etc. transitive
"to roast a potato in ashes"
- 4 subject to laughter or ridicule wordnet
- 5 To process by drying through exposure to sun or artificial heat. ergative, intransitive, transitive
"Coffee beans need roasting before use."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 To heat to excess; to heat violently; to burn.
"roasted in wrath and fire"
- 7 To admonish someone vigorously. figuratively, transitive
"I'm late home for the fourth time this week; my mate will really roast me this time."
- 8 To subject to bantering, severely criticize, sometimes as a comedy routine. figuratively, transitive
"He roasted a bully who then fought with him."
- 9 To dissipate the volatile parts of by heat, as ores.
Adjective
- 1 Having been cooked by roasting. not-comparable
- 2 Subjected to roasting; bantered; severely criticized. figuratively, not-comparable
Adjective
- 1 (meat) cooked by dry heat in an oven wordnet
Example
"We all pigged out at the company Christmas party, especially on the roast beef."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "roast"?
Common synonyms include: aspic, assail, attack, bake, bake, baked.
How do you use "roast" in a sentence?
We all pigged out at the company Christmas party, especially on the roast beef.
How do you pronounce "roast"?
Pronounced /ɹoʊst/.
Etymology
From Middle English rosten, a borrowing from Old French rostir (“to roast, to torture with fire”), from Frankish *rōstijan (“to roast, broil”), from Proto-Germanic *raustijaną (“to roast”), from Proto-Indo-European *rews- (“to crackle; roast”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian rosterje (“to roast”), Dutch roosten, roosteren (“to roast”), German rösten (“to roast”). Displaced native Middle English breden, bræden (“to roast”), from Old English brǣdan, related to German braten (“to roast, grill”).