- 1 [countable] a part of a building that has its own walls, floor and ceiling and is usually used for a particular purpose He walked out of the room and slammed the door. They were in the next room and we could hear every word they said. a dining/living/sitting room They had to sit in the waiting room for an hour. I think Simon is in his room (= bedroom). I don't want to watch television. I'll be in the other room (= a different room). There are many compounds ending in room. You will find them at their place in the alphabet. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebig, cavernous, enormous, … verb + roomburst into, come into, creep into, … room + verbadjoin something, face something, overlook something, … room + nounkey, number, lights, … prepositionaround a/the room, round a/the room, from room to room, … See full entry See related entries: Rooms in a house -roomed/-room
- 2 (in adjectives) having the number of rooms mentioned a three-roomed/three-room apartment in hotel
- 3 [countable] a bedroom in a hotel, etc. a double/single room I'd like to book a room with a view of the lake. She lets out rooms to students. CollocationsTravel and tourismHolidays/vacations have/take (British English) a holiday/(North American English) a vacation/a break/a day off/(British English) a gap year go on/be on holiday/vacation/leave/honeymoon/safari/a trip/a tour/a cruise/a pilgrimage go backpacking/camping/hitchhiking/sightseeing plan a trip/a holiday/a vacation/your itinerary book accommodation/a hotel room/a flight/tickets have/make/cancel a reservation/(especially British English) booking rent a villa/(both British English) a holiday home/a holiday cottage (especially British English) hire/ (especially North American English) rent a car/bicycle/moped stay in a hotel/a bed and breakfast/a youth hostel/a villa/(both British English) a holiday home/a caravan cost/charge $100 a/per night for a single/double/twin/standard/(British English) en suite room check into/out of a hotel/a motel/your room pack/unpack your suitcase/bags call/order room service cancel/cut short a trip/holiday/vacationForeign travel apply for/get/renew a/your passport take out/buy/get travel insurance catch/miss your plane/train/ferry/connecting flight fly (in)/travel in business/economy class make/have a brief/two-day/twelve-hour stopover/(North American English also) layover in Hong Kong experience/cause/lead to delays check (in)/collect/get/lose (your) (especially British English) luggage/(especially North American English) baggage be charged for/pay excess baggage board/get on/leave/get off the aircraft/plane/ship/ferry taxi down/leave/approach/hit/overshoot the runway experience/hit/encounter severe turbulence suffer from/recover from/get over your jet lag/travel sicknessThe tourist industry attract/draw/bring tourists/visitors encourage/promote/hurt tourism promote/develop ecotourism build/develop/visit a tourist/holiday/(especially British English) seaside/beach/ski resort work for/be operated by a major hotel chain be served by/compete with low-cost/(especially North American English) low-fare/budget airlines book something through/make a booking through/use a travel agent contact/check with your travel agent/tour operator book/be on/go on a package deal/holiday/tour buy/bring back (tacky/overpriced) souvenirs Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebig, cavernous, enormous, … verb + roomburst into, come into, creep into, … room + verbadjoin something, face something, overlook something, … room + nounkey, number, lights, … prepositionaround a/the room, round a/the room, from room to room, … See full entry See related entries: Holiday accommodation, Staying in a hotel place to live
- 4rooms [plural] (old-fashioned, British English) a set of two or more rooms that you rent to live in synonym lodging They lived in rooms in Kensington. space
- 5 [uncountable] empty space that can be used for a particular purpose room (for somebody/something) Is there enough room for me in the car? There's room for one more at the table. Do you have room for a computer on your desk? Yes, there's plenty of room. How can we make room for all the furniture? I'll move the table—it takes up too much room. room (to do something) Make sure you have plenty of room to sit comfortably. see also elbow room, headroom, houseroom, legroom, standing room Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveample, considerable, enough, … verb + roomfind, leave, make, … prepositionroom for phrasesroom for manoeuvre/maneuver See full entry possibility
- 6[uncountable] room for something the possibility of something existing or happening; the opportunity to do something He had to be certain. There could be no room for doubt. There's some room for improvement in your work (= it is not as good as it could be). It is important to give children room to think for themselves. people
- 7[singular] all the people in a room The whole room burst into applause. Word OriginOld English rūm, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch ruim, German Raum.Extra examples A ripple of laughter ran round the room. As soon as the teacher left the room there was uproar. Do you have enough room? Guests are requested to vacate their rooms by 11 a.m. He emailed his report back to the news room. He was pacing the room nervously. I rented a room while looking for a house to buy. I used to share a room with my sister. I wandered restlessly around my room. I was renting a tiny basement room at that time. Our guests are sleeping in the spare room. Police have set up an incident room at the scene of the murder. She felt sick and the room was spinning. She flew from room to room looking for the fire extinguisher. She prowled around the room like a caged tiger. Soaring room rates have put tourists off visiting the city. Suddenly Katie burst into the room. The patient was in a private room equipped with bathroom and TV. The room adjoins the hotel kitchens. The room contained little more than a table and chair. The room fell silent as she rose to speak. The room smelled of stale sweat and coffee. The rooms are cramped and narrow. The sales figures are good, but there is still room for improvement. There is some wiggle room for varying interpretations. This wine should be served at room temperature. We had to move the furniture to make room for the piano. We hired a room for the party. Will there be enough room for that dishwasher in your kitchen? a room decorated in pastel shades a room decorated with flowers a room lit by one dusty light bulb a room measuring 28 feet by 34 a room measuring 6 metres by 7 a room set aside for quiet study He had to be certain. There could be no room for doubt. I don’t have room for a computer on my desk. I got rid of that old sofa—it took up too much room. Is there enough room for the car? There’s plenty of room in the attic. There’s room for one more at the table. There’s some room for improvement in your work. You’ll have to make room for all those books.Idioms
noun jump to other results
BrE BrE//ruːm//; NAmE NAmE//ruːm//; BrE BrE//rʊm//; NAmE NAmE//rʊm//
Rooms in a house, Holiday accommodation, Staying in a hotela problem or question that everyone knows about but does not mention because it is easier not to discuss it The elephant in the room was the money that had to be paid in bribes. There’s a big elephant in the room and it’s gun control.
the chance to change the way that something happens and influence decisions that are made Small farmers have limited room for manoeuvre.
(informal) when somebody says there’s no room to swing a cat, they mean that a room is very small and that there is not enough space
(disapproving) a decision that people describe as being made in a smoke-filled room is made by a small group of people at a private meeting, rather than in an open and democratic way
Check pronunciation: room
