Roach Meaning
/ɹəʊtʃ/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounCertain members of the fish family Cyprinidae, including:
nounCertain members of the fish family Cyprinidae, including:, Any fish of species in the genus Rutilus, especially
Sentence Examples
No house has only one roach in it.
From behind the fridge, a roach comes out.
CEFR Practice Quiz
A large brown ____ ran quickly across the kitchen floor last night.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The health inspector found evidence of a ____ infestation in the kitchen and ordered the restaurant to close.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English roche, from Old French roche, from Middle Low German roche, ruche (“ray (fish)”), from Old Saxon *rūh, possibly from Proto-Germanic *rūhaz (“rough”). Cognate with Old English ruhha ("a ray"; > Middle English rouhe, rohȝe), German Rochen (“ray (fish)”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"In his half hour of free time between brooms it was Willie's custom to smoke his lunch in an alleyway. He'd take just half a roach, only enough to make him feel a new day was starting, no more no less."
— 1957, Alfred Maund, The Big Boxcar, Urbana: University of Illinois Press, →ISBN, page 106:
"Last toke is the yellowing fabric of the roach, containing the stuff that is less than tobacco."
— 2000, Zadie Smith, White Teeth, London: Penguin Books, published 2001, →ISBN, page 292:
"Yamato roached on his best friend."
— 2025 February 7, Bravado, Blizzard Forums:
"I stand by it being a horrible call, but Yamdef getting called out for roaching, there’s definitely some irony going on there."
— 2025 February 7, Skunkyboy, Blizzard Forums:
"After long Working of this Coal, it was found upon the rising Grounds, that there lay another Roach of Coal, at the Depth of 14 Yards under it"
— 1749, Rog. Mostyn, “Mineralogy”, in Philosophical Transactions and Collections to the End of the Year, volume II, London: Royal Society, →OCLC, page 379:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
A large brown ____ ran quickly across the kitchen floor last night.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The health inspector found evidence of a ____ infestation in the kitchen and ordered the restaurant to close.