What does roost mean?
Roost is a word for both a bird's resting place and the act of settling there for the night. As a noun, it primarily denotes a perch or sheltered structure where birds sleep, though it can also refer by extension to a person's temporary sleeping or lodging place. As a verb, roost describes a bird perching or settling down as evening approaches and, figuratively, a person staying somewhere for the night. The word is familiar in both British and American English and is especially useful when describing the daily behavior of birds. Its best-known figurative expression is “come home to roost,” meaning that troublesome or avoided consequences eventually return to their source. That meaning reflects the literal image of a bird returning to its customary perch. Although roost can sound slightly old-fashioned in formal writing, it remains natural and vivid in descriptions of birds, farm buildings, and nighttime shelter.
A perch or resting place where a bird sleeps or settles for the night; by extension, a place where a person stays or sleeps.
"A line of swallows occupied the roost beneath the eaves."
The bird-related sense is the dominant modern meaning.
To perch or settle down for the night, especially as a bird; also, to stay or sleep at a place.
"The migrating geese roosted in the fields near the lake."
Usually intransitive; figurative uses often suggest settling temporarily or reluctantly.
The plural is regular and refers to multiple birds' resting places or other places of shelter.
"Several bats shared the roost in the cave."
The expression “come home to roost” turns an ordinary farm image into a warning: avoided consequences can return to cause trouble.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does roost come from?
The word comes through Middle English roost from Old English hrōst, meaning a perch or a place where a bird rests. Old English hrōst belonged to Proto-Germanic and has close counterparts in Dutch, West Frisian, and an older German form meaning a bird's resting place. Over time, the word developed from the concrete perch occupied by birds into a broader sense of a resting or lodging place and finally into figurative expressions about returning to face consequences.
Related word forms
How roost is actually used
The noun is especially associated with birds, while the extended sense for human accommodation is less frequent. The verb is normally intransitive and often describes birds settling for the night; its figurative uses can suggest being stuck or settling down temporarily.
Easily confused with roost
A roost is a bird's perch or resting place, whereas rust is the reddish-brown oxidation that forms on iron or steel.