rule the roost

idiom

informal
: to have the most control or authority in a group

Examples of rule the roost in a Sentence

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Hens may soon rule the roost in Spring Hill as the city's board of mayor and aldermen continue to discuss changes to an ordinance limiting the number of birds allowed on a person's property. Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 28 July 2025 Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office is on the case, but the peafowls’ disappearance is no less painful for the grand old hotel’s visitors and its employees who for years have watched the proud birds rule the roost. Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2025 At present, country music and Stateside stars such as Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan continue to rule the roost on the U.K. charts. Sophie Williams, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2025 Israel, meanwhile, is watching events in Syria with a mix of relief and worry — relief that Assad, who turned Syria into an Iranian outpost, is gone and worry that jihadists could now rule the roost. Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 10 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for rule the roost

Cite this Entry

“Rule the roost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rule%20the%20roost. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.

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