# roast

> English word · Verb · IPA /ɹoʊst/ · frequency rank #8,721

## Definitions
1. To cook food by heating in an oven or over a fire without covering, resulting in a crisp, possibly even slightly charred appearance.
2. To cook by surrounding with hot embers, ashes, sand, etc.
3. To process by drying through exposure to sun or artificial heat.
4. To heat to excess; to heat violently; to burn.
5. To admonish someone vigorously.
6. To subject to bantering, severely criticize, sometimes as a comedy routine.
7. To dissipate the volatile parts of by heat, as ores.

## Etymology
From Middle English rosten, a borrowing from Old French rostir (“to roast, to torture with fire”), from Frankish *rōstijan (“to roast, broil”), from Proto-Germanic *raustijaną (“to roast”), from Proto-Indo-European *rews- (“to crackle; roast”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian rosterje (“to roast”), Dutch roosten, roosteren (“to roast”), German rösten (“to roast”).
Displaced native Middle English breden, bræden (“to roast”), from Old English brǣdan, related to German braten (“to roast, grill”).

## Easily confused with
- **rot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-rot)
- **ROS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-ros)
- **rose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-rose)
- **root** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-root)
- **Ross** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-ross)
- **rows** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-rows)
- **Rosa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-rosa)
- **rust** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-rust)
- **rods** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-rods)
- **rosy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-rosy)
- **rout** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-rout)
- **roos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-roos)
- **ROTS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-rots)
- **robot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-robot)
- **Rossi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-rossi)
- **rouse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-rouse)
- **roost** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-roost)
- **Rohit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-rohit)
- **Rosso** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-rosso)
- **Rojas** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/roast-vs-rojas)

## Common misspellings (7)
`orast`, `raost`, `roasst`, `roastt`, `roats`, `rosat`, `rroast`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/roast