roach

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈrəʊtʃ/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/roʊtʃ/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(rōch)

Inflections of 'roach' (n):
roaches
npl (All usages)
roach
npl (Can be used as a collective plural—e.g. "Roach can be a real problem in some countries.")

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
roach1 /roʊtʃ/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. Insectsa cockroach.
  2. Drugs, Slang Terms[Slang.]the butt of a marijuana cigarette.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
roach1  (rōch),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Insectsa cockroach.
  2. Drugs, Slang Terms[Slang.]the butt of a marijuana cigarette.
  • 1830–40, American; 1940–45, American. for def. 2; short form of cockroach

roach2  (rōch),USA pronunciation n., pl. roach•es, ([esp. collectively]) roach. 
  1. Fisha European freshwater fish, Rutilus rutilus, of the carp family.
  2. Fishany of various similar fishes, as the golden shiner.
  3. Fisha freshwater sunfish of the genus Lepomis, found in eastern North America.
  • ?
  • Old French
  • Middle English roche 1275–1325

roach3  (rōch),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. [Naut.]
    • Naval Termsthe upward curve at the foot of a square sail.
    • Naval Terms(loosely) a convexity given to any of the edges of a sail;
      round.
  2. Clothinghair combed up from the forehead or temples in a roll or high curve.

v.t. 
  1. to clip or cut off (the mane of a horse);
    hog.
  2. Clothingto comb (hair) into a roach.
  • origin, originally uncertain 1785–95

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
roach /rəʊtʃ/ n ( pl roaches, roach)
  1. a European freshwater cyprinid food fish, Rutilus rutilus, having a deep compressed body and reddish ventral and tail fins
Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French roche, of obscure origin
roach /rəʊtʃ/ n
  1. short for cockroach
  2. slang the butt of a cannabis cigarette
roach /rəʊtʃ/ n
  1. the curve at the foot of a square sail
Etymology: 18th Century: of unknown origin
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Roach /rəʊtʃ/ n
  1. Hal, full name Harald Eugene Roach. 1892–1992, US film producer, whose company produced numerous comedy films in the 1920s and 1930s, including those featuring Harold Lloyd and Laurel and Hardy
'roach' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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