roach

IPA/rəʊtʃ/
KK[rˈotʃ]IPA/rəʊtʃ/

roach — noun

  • roachsingular
  • roachesplural

1. a small freshwater species native to European rivers and lakes, with a silver-gr

1.nounB1
Definition

a small freshwater species native to European rivers and lakes, with a silver-green body, sometimes caught by anglers for food

Example

Tanvi caught a small roach while fishing in the river near her house.

countable noun with 'a'

The old fisherman pointed at the silver roach swimming among the rocks.

Common collocations
  • catch a roach
  • silver roach
  • freshwater roach
  • school of roach
Synonyms
  • rudd

    a similar freshwater fish, often confused with roach in Europe

Grammar Patterns

a/the roach

plural: roach or roaches

Usage Note

Commonly used as both countable ('a roach') and uncountable when referring to the species as food ('we had roach for dinner'). The plural is usually unchanged ('three roach'), though 'roaches' is also accepted.

Common Mistakes

I saw a roach in the kitchen' (when meaning the insect).
I saw a cockroach in the kitchen.
'roach' for the fish is formal; for the insect it is informal slang. Context matters.

2. a short informal word for a cockroach, a brown or black insect that lives in war

2.nounB1
Definition

a short informal word for a cockroach, a brown or black insect that lives in warm, dirty places inside buildings and is difficult to get rid of

Example

Quinn screamed when a roach ran across the kitchen floor at midnight.

informal register: 'roach' instead of 'cockroach'

The old apartment had a roach problem that the landlord refused to fix.

Common collocations
  • find a roach
  • roach problem
  • kill a roach
  • roach infestation
Synonyms
  • cockroach

    the full, formal term; 'roach' is the shortened informal version

Grammar Patterns

a/the roach

plural: roaches

Usage Note

This is the most common everyday meaning of 'roach'. In informal speech, 'roach' is far more frequent than 'cockroach'. Avoid this usage in formal writing — use 'cockroach' instead.

Common Mistakes

There are roaches in the river.
There are roach in the river.
When referring to the fish, the plural is usually 'roach', not 'roaches'. 'Roaches' strongly suggests the insect.

3. the leftover stub of a smoked marijuana cigarette, what remains after most of th

3.nounC1
Definition

the leftover stub of a smoked marijuana cigarette, what remains after most of the cannabis has been burnt away

Example

The officer found a roach in the ashtray on the balcony.

slang term for marijuana cigarette butt

Quinn carefully put the roach out before going back inside the house.

Common collocations
  • find a roach
  • stub out a roach
  • burned roach
Synonyms
  • joint

    a whole marijuana cigarette, not the leftover end

  • spliff

    another slang term for a marijuana cigarette, more common in British English

Grammar Patterns

a/the roach

Usage Note

Slang term specific to cannabis use. Outside of this context, 'roach' refers to either a cockroach (sense 2) or a fish (sense 1). The meaning is usually clear from the situation.

Common Mistakes

He stubbed out his roach' (when smoking tobacco).
He stubbed out his cigarette.
'roach' for a marijuana cigarette only, never for tobacco.

roach — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

Roach (sense 2) is an informal shortening of 'cockroach', used mainly in conversation and casual writing. The full word 'cockroach' works in both formal and informal settings — if you are writing an essay or a report, always choose 'cockroach'. 'Bug' is a broader, more general term for any small insect and is not a precise replacement for 'roach'. For example, in the sentence 'I saw a bug in the basement', the listener cannot tell whether it was a cockroach, a spider, or a beetle — but saying 'I saw a roach in the basement' clearly identifies the insect as a cockroach. In American English, 'roach' is the dominant informal term; British speakers also use it, though 'cockroach' is more common there.

roach ↗cockroach ↗bug ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • roach problem
  • roach infestation
  • roach trap

Phrases

  • like a roach
  • roach motel

Etymology

GermanicOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'roach' comes from Old French 'roche', which was borrowed from a Germanic source. For the fish sense, it entered English around the 1300s and has been used continuously since then. The cockroach meaning appeared around the 1830s as a shortened form of 'cockroach' (which itself comes from Spanish 'cucaracha'). The slang meaning for a marijuana cigarette butt emerged in the mid-1900s in American counterculture. The verb sense for cutting a horse's mane dates from the 1800s and may have developed from the idea of the short roached mane resembling the back of a roach fish.