plural roach also roaches
1
: a silver-green European freshwater cyprinid fish (Rutilus rutilus)
also
: any of various related fishes (such as some shiners)
2
: any of several American freshwater sunfishes (family Centrarchidae)
1
: a curved cut in the edge of a sail to prevent chafing or to secure a better fit
2
: a roll of hair brushed straight back from the forehead or side of the head
roached; roaching; roaches
1
: to cut so that the remainder stands upright
roach a horse's mane
2
: to cause to arch
specifically
: to brush (the hair) in a roach
—often used with up
Examples of roach in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
Reviewers flagged dirty restaurants 856 times, cited hair in food in 375 reviews and mentioned rats or roaches in 216 cases.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 7 Feb. 2026
No evidence of roaches were found during this round of inspections, but rodent droppings were observed at one facility.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2026
Merchandise that might be included in the box are roach socks, roach beanie, roach crossbody bag, roach plush, or a roach tumbler.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for roach
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Flies and roach poop caused a mall food court chain’s Kendall location to fail inspection last week, a week after its Hialeah location also flopped inspection.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
Reviewers flagged dirty restaurants 856 times, cited hair in food in 375 reviews and mentioned rats or roaches in 216 cases.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 7 Feb. 2026
No evidence of roaches were found during this round of inspections, but rodent droppings were observed at one facility.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2026
Merchandise that might be included in the box are roach socks, roach beanie, roach crossbody bag, roach plush, or a roach tumbler.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for roach
Cite this Entry
“Roach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roach. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
