roost July 23, 2008

Pronounced:

IPA: ru:st
Collegiate Dictionary: rüst

Function: verb [no object]

Inflected forms:

roosts; roosted; roosting

Status: of a bird

Meaning:

: to rest or sleep somewhere
Example:
<Pigeons roost on the building's ledge.>

Idiom:

come home to roost

Meaning:

: If something from your past comes home to roost or your/the chickens come home to roost, you experience problems that you deserve because they are caused by your past actions or are like the problems you have caused for other people.
Examples:
<Her bad decisions are coming home to roost.>
<He's been cheating people for years, but now the chickens are (finally) coming home to roost. [=he is getting what he deserves]>

IPA Pronunciation Guide (with audio)

Learn more: Word of the Day Archive