Library / English Dictionary

ROOM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

An area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

Example:

the rooms were very small but they had a nice view

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("room" is a kind of...):

area (a part of a structure having some specific characteristic or function)

Meronyms (parts of "room"):

wall (an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure)

floor; flooring (the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure))

ceiling (the overhead upper surface of a covered space)

room light (light that provides general illumination for a room)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "room"):

sewing room (a room set aside for sewing)

scullery (a small room (in large old British houses) next to the kitchen; where kitchen utensils are cleaned and kept and other rough household jobs are done)

scriptorium (a room in a monastery that is set aside for writing or copying manuscripts)

rotunda (a large circular room)

rec room; recreation room (a room equipped for informal entertaining)

reception room (a room for receiving and entertaining visitors (as in a private house or hotel))

reading room (a room set aside for reading)

rathole (a small dirty uncomfortable room)

presence chamber (room in which a monarch or other great person receives guests, assemblies, etc.)

poolroom (a room with pool tables where pool is played)

hall; manor hall (the large room of a manor or castle)

lounge; waiting area; waiting room (a room (as in a hotel or airport) with seating where people can wait)

locker room (a room (as at an athletic facility or workplace) where you can change clothes and which contains lockers for the temporary storage of your clothing and personal possessions)

front room; living-room; living room; parlor; parlour; sitting room (a room in a private house or establishment where people can sit and talk and relax)

library (a room where books are kept)

kitchen (a room equipped for preparing meals)

hospital room (a room in a hospital for the care of patients)

hall (a large room for gatherings or entertainment)

guardroom (a room used by soldiers on guard)

workroom (room where work is done)

war room (a room where strategic decisions are made (especially for military or political campaigns))

walk-in (a small room large enough to admit entrance)

sacristy; vestry (a room in a church where sacred vessels and vestments are kept or meetings are held)

torture chamber (a room in which torture is inflicted)

bathroom; can; john; lav; lavatory; privy; toilet (a room or building equipped with one or more toilets)

test room; testing room (a room in which tests are conducted)

television room; tv room (a room set aside for viewing television)

surgery (a room where a doctor or dentist can be consulted)

solarium; sun lounge; sun parlor; sun parlour; sun porch; sunporch; sunroom (a room enclosed largely with glass and affording exposure to the sun)

study (a room used for reading and writing and studying)

storage room; storeroom; stowage (a room in which things are stored)

steam bath; steam room; vapor bath; vapour bath (a room that can be filled with steam in which people bathe; 'vapour bath' is a British term)

squad room (a room in a police station where members of the force assemble for roll call and duty assignments)

squad room (a room in a barracks where soldiers are billeted)

smoking room (room in a hotel or club set apart for smokers)

sickroom (a room to which a sick person is confined)

sick berth; sickbay ((nautical) a room for the treatment of the sick or injured (as on a ship))

shower room (a room with several showers)

shipping room (a room where goods are packaged and shipped)

closet (a small private room for study or prayer)

cloakroom; coatroom (a room where coats and other articles can be left temporarily)

clean room; white room (a room that is virtually free of dust or bacteria; used in laboratory work and in assembly or repair of precision equipment)

classroom; schoolroom (a room in a school where lessons take place)

checkroom; left-luggage office (a room where baggage or parcels are checked)

chamber (a room where a judge transacts business)

cell; cubicle (small room in which a monk or nun lives)

cell; jail cell; prison cell (a room where a prisoner is kept)

cardroom (a room for gambling on card games)

boardroom; council chamber (a room where a committee meets (such as the board of directors of a company))

billiard hall; billiard parlor; billiard parlour; billiard room; billiard saloon (a room in which billiards is played)

belfry (a room (often at the top of a tower) where bells are hung)

bedchamber; bedroom; chamber; sleeping accommodation; sleeping room (a room used primarily for sleeping)

bathroom (a room (as in a residence) containing a bathtub or shower and usually a washbasin and toilet)

bar; barroom; ginmill; saloon; taproom (a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter)

ballroom; dance hall; dance palace (large room used mainly for dancing)

back room (a room located in the rear of an establishment; usually accessible only to privileged groups)

antechamber; anteroom; entrance hall; foyer; hall; lobby; vestibule (a large entrance or reception room or area)

anechoic chamber (a chamber having very little reverberation)

greenroom (a backstage room in a theater where performers rest or have visitors)

art gallery; gallery; picture gallery (a room or series of rooms where works of art are exhibited)

gallery (a long usually narrow room used for some specific purpose)

furnace room (a room (usually in the basement of a building) that contains a furnace for heating the building)

floor; trading floor (a large room in a exchange where the trading is done)

engine room; engineering (a room (as on a ship) in which the engine is located)

durbar (the room in the palace of a native prince of India in which audiences and receptions occur)

dressing room (a room in which you can change clothes)

door (a room that is entered via a door)

dining-room; dining room (a room used for dining)

clubroom (a room used for the activities of a club)

dinette (a small area off of a kitchen that is used for dining)

den (a room that is comfortable and secluded)

darkroom (a room in which photographs are developed)

cutting room (a room where films or tapes are edited (by cutting out unwanted parts))

cubby; cubbyhole; snug; snuggery (a small secluded room)

court; courtroom (a room in which a lawcourt sits)

control room (a room housing control equipment (as in a recording studio))

conference room (a room in which a conference can be held)

compartment (a partitioned section, chamber, or separate room within a larger enclosed area)

Holonyms ("room" is a part of...):

building; edifice (a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place)

Derivation:

room (live and take one's meals at or in)

roomette (a small private compartment for one on a sleeping car)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The people who are present in a room

Example:

the whole room was cheering

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("room" is a kind of...):

assemblage; gathering (a group of persons together in one place)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Space for movement

Example:

hardly enough elbow room to turn around

Synonyms:

elbow room; room; way

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Hypernyms ("room" is a kind of...):

position; spatial relation (the spatial property of a place where or way in which something is situated)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "room"):

seating; seating area; seating room; seats (an area that includes places where several people can sit)

standing room (room for passengers or spectators to stand)

breathing room; breathing space (sufficient room for easy breathing or movement)

clearance; headroom; headway (vertical space available to allow easy passage under something)

houseroom (space for accommodation in a house)

lebensraum; living space (space sought for occupation by a nation whose population is expanding)

parking (space in which vehicles can be parked)

sea room (space for maneuver at sea)

Derivation:

roomy ((of buildings and rooms) having ample space)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Opportunity for

Example:

room for improvement

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("room" is a kind of...):

chance; opportunity (a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Live and take one's meals at or in

Example:

she rooms in an old boarding house

Synonyms:

board; room

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "room" is one way to...):

dwell; inhabit; live; populate (be an inhabitant of or reside in)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

room (an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling)

roomer (a tenant in someone's house)

Credits

 Context examples: 

"Girls, where are you going?" asked Amy, coming into their room one Saturday afternoon, and finding them getting ready to go out with an air of secrecy which excited her curiosity.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Bessie invited him to walk into the breakfast-room, and led the way out.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

They were actually on the same sofa, for Mrs Musgrove had most readily made room for him; they were divided only by Mrs Musgrove.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

Then Scott looked around the room.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

“Free play and plenty of room.”

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

It was a large long room with some large maps in it.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Therefore, as you must remain in the Palace for several days, I will have you shown to rooms where you may rest in comfort after your journey.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

He examined the lock of the safe, the door of the room, and finally the iron shutters of the window.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

There was no mirror, at that date, in my room; that which stands beside me as I write, was brought there later on and for the very purpose of these transformations.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

The room was not unlike a stable.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)