Roshambo

//ˌɹoʊʃæmˈboʊ// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Synonym of rock paper scissors.
Verb
  1. 1
    To play a game of roshambo in order to decide a point of contention.

    "I'll roshambo you for it."

Etymology

Unknown. The syllables ro – sham – bo are called out by players to synchronize their timing. Connections to the French surname Rochambeau are a folk etymology, perhaps derived from the vaguely similar Japanese syllables jan – ken – pon.

Related phrases

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