Roust
noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A strong tide or current, especially in a narrow channel.
"At the north point of this island, called Ska, goes a very rapid current; like the Roust of Sumburghead"
- 1 to rout out of bed; to rouse. transitive
""Why didn't you roust me out?" / "Well, I tried to, but I couldn't; I couldn't budge you." / "Well, all right. Don't stand there palavering all day, but out with you and see if there's a fish on the lines for breakfast. I'll be along in a minute.""
- 2 To harass, to treat in a rough way. informal, transitive
"My client is an ex-convict. He's been constantly harassed by the police... subjected to extreme mental cruelty and public degradation. He's even been denied an adequate place to live! To be very blunt, gentlemen, my client has been thoroughly rousted."
- 3 To arrest. slang, transitive
- 4 To drive strongly. transitive
Example
More examples""Why didn't you roust me out?" / "Well, I tried to, but I couldn't; I couldn't budge you." / "Well, all right. Don't stand there palavering all day, but out with you and see if there's a fish on the lines for breakfast. I'll be along in a minute.""
Etymology
1650s, variant of rouse, possibly influenced by rout.
From Old Norse rǫst (“current, stream in the sea”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.