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room

Syllabification: (room)
Pronunciation: /ro͞om, ro͝om/
Translate room | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of room

noun

  • 1space that can be occupied or where something can be done, especially viewed in terms of whether there is enough:there’s only room for a single bed in there [with infinitive]:she was trapped without room to move
  • opportunity or scope for something to happen or be done, especially without causing trouble or damage:there is plenty of room for disagreement in this controversial area there is room for improvement
  • 2a part or division of a building enclosed by walls, floor, and ceiling:he wandered from room to room
  • (rooms) a set of rooms, typically rented, in which a person, couple, or family live:my rooms at Mrs. Jenks’s house
  • [in singular] the people present in a room:the whole room burst into an uproar of approval

verb

[no object] North American
  • share a room or house or apartment, especially a rented one at a college or similar institution:I was rooming with my cousin
  • [with object] provide with a shared room or lodging:they roomed us together

Phrases

make room

move aside or move something aside to allow someone to enter or pass or to clear space for something:the secretary entered with the coffee tray and made room for it on the desk

no (or not) room to swing a cat

humorous used in reference to a very confined space.
[cat in the sense 'cat-o'-nine-tails']

smoke-filled room

used to refer to political bargaining or decision-making that is conducted privately by a small group of influential people rather than more openly or democratically.

Derivatives

roomed

adjective
[in combination]:a four-roomed house

roomful

Pronunciation: /-ˌfo͝ol/
noun (plural roomfuls)

Origin:

Old English rūm, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch ruim, German Raum

room in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of room in the British & World English dictionary
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