roach

roach — noun

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

1.名詞B1
釋義

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

例句

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.

同義詞
  • rudd

    a similar freshwater fish, often confused with roach in Europe

文法句型

a/the roach

plural: roach or roaches

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞B1
釋義

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

例句

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.

同義詞
  • cockroach

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

文法句型

a/the roach

plural: roaches

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞C1
釋義

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

例句

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.

同義詞
  • joint

    a whole marijuana cigarette, not the leftover end

  • spliff

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

文法句型

a/the roach

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

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

roach — verb