Roostertail

noun, verb

noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
A violent fountain or spray, especially one caused by a moving vehicle or boat.
"A roostertail of snow kicked up behind me."

Verb

1
To pour like a fountain; to spurt violently.
"The red dust of Tanguieta rolling and roostertailing behind us."
2
To move rapidly through water, leaving a roostertail wake.
"The shiny new aluminum tribal Jet-Boat roostertailed up the river, straight for us, kicking up a wake that rocked our boat hard enough to knock the cards off the cooler."

Example

"A roostertail of snow kicked up behind me."

Etymology

From rooster + tail, from analogy with the shape of a rooster's feathered tail.

More for "roostertail"

Synonyms Sentences Pronunciation Translate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation Browse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.