noun

roach

rohch

noun

A small freshwater fish related to carp, common in European rivers and lakes.

"He spent the afternoon fishing for roach off the canal bank."

Slang for a cockroach.

"She screamed when a roach scuttled across the kitchen floor."

The small cardboard filter, or the leftover butt, of a rolled cigarette or joint.

"He rolled a bit of the cigarette packet into a roach for the joint."

How to Use Roach

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishDepending on context: a river fish, an informal word for cockroach, or the little cardboard tip in a rolled cigarette or joint.

Common mistake

Don't confuse with "roach" the slang cockroach sense with the unrelated fish species — context (fishing vs. pest) makes it clear which is meant.

Word Forms

roached past tense, roached past tense, roaches plural, roach plural, roaches plural, roaches plural, roaches plural, roaches singular, roaches singular

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Can you complete this real example?

He spent the afternoon fishing for _____ off the canal bank.

Etymology

From Old French roche, related to a Germanic word for "rough" — originally the name of a fish before being borrowed for the insect and, later, the joint filter.

Rhymes for roach

coach poach broach approach reproach cockroach Stagecoach

See all rhymes for roach →