Oxford Essential Dictionary
room
noun
1 (plural rooms) one of the spaces in a building that has walls around it:
How many rooms are there in the new house?
a classroom
word building
A house or flat usually has a living room (or sitting room or lounge), bedrooms, a bathroom, a toilet, a kitchen, a hall and perhaps a dining room.
2 (no plural) space; enough space:
There's no room for you in the car.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
room
I. room1 S1 W1 /ruːm, rʊm/ BrE AmE noun
[Language: Old English; Origin: rum]
1. IN A BUILDING [countable] a part of the inside of a building that has its own walls, floor, and ceiling:
I looked around the room.
She nodded toward a man who was standing across the room (=on the other side of the room).
Someone was laughing in the next room (=the one beside the one you are in).
sb’s room (=someone’s bedroom)
Beth, it’s time to clean up your room.
bathroom/dining room/meeting room etc
the doctor’s waiting room
one-room(ed)/two-room(ed) etc
a three-room apartment
single/double room (=a room in a hotel for one person or for two)
I’d like to book a double room for two nights.
Here’s your key – room 348. ⇨ front room, living room, sitting room
2. SPACE [uncountable] space somewhere for a particular thing, person, or activity
room in
I hope there’s going to be enough room in the fridge.
room for
My suitcase was so full I didn’t have room for anything else.
room to do something
The museum doesn’t have enough room to show everything in their collection.
plenty of room/enough room
There’s plenty of room in the boot for your luggage.
I’m trying to make room for a vegetable garden in the backyard.
Step back, leave room for people to get past.
The old wardrobe took up too much room.
leg-room/head-room (=space for your legs or head in a vehicle) ⇨ elbow-room at elbow1(5)
3. OPPORTUNITY/POSSIBILITY [uncountable] the chance to do something, or the possibility that something exists or can happen
room for
There’s little room for innovation.
room for doubt/debate/argument etc
The evidence was clear, and there was little room for doubt.
room for manoeuvre British English room for maneuver American English (=the possibility of changing what you do or decide)
Teachers feel they have little room for manoeuvre when the curriculum is so demanding.
room to do something
Children need to have room to develop their natural creativity.
Make room in your day for exercise.
4. there’s room for improvement used to say that something is not perfect and needs to be improved:
The report shows that there is room for improvement.
5. there’s not enough room to swing a cat used humorously to say that an area or room is not very big
6. APARTMENT rooms [plural] old-fashioned especially British English two or more rooms that you rent in a building, or stay in at a college
7. PEOPLE [singular] all the people in a room:
The whole room started singing ‘Happy Birthday’.
II. room2 BrE AmE verb [intransitive] American English
to rent and live in a room somewhere
room with somebody phrasal verb
to share a room or house with someone, especially at college:
I roomed with Al at UCSD.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
room
room [room rooms roomed rooming] noun, verb [ruːm] [ruːm] [rʊm] [rʊm]
noun
IN BUILDING
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.
-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.
PLACE TO LIVE
4. rooms plural (old-fashioned, BrE) a set of two or more rooms that you rent to live in
Syn: lodgings
• They lived in rooms in Kensington.
SPACE
5. uncountable empty space that can be used for a particular purpose
• ~ (for sb/sth) 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.
• ~ (to do sth) Make sure you have plenty of room to sit comfortably.
see also elbow room, headroom, houseroom, legroom, standing room
POSSIBILITY
6. uncountable ~ for sth the possibility of sth existing or happening; the opportunity to do sth
• 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.
more at the elephant in the room at elephant, freedom of/room for manoeuvre at manoeuvre n., a smoke-filled room at smoke n.
Word Origin:
Old English rūm, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch ruim, German Raum.
Thesaurus:
room noun U
• Is there room in the car for me?
space • • headroom • • legroom •
room/space for/between sth
room/space to do sth
leave/make/create/save/take up room/space
Room or space? Room is usually space that you have or need for some practical purpose; space can be used in the same way, or it can mean a feeling of space that you enjoy for its own sake:
• The bright colours give a lovely feeling of space.
¤ The bright colours give a lovely feeling of room.
Collocations:
Travel and tourism
Holidays/vacations
have/take (BrE) a holiday/(NAmE) a vacation/a break/a day off/(BrE) 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 BrE) booking
rent a villa/(both BrE) a holiday home/a holiday cottage
(especially BrE) hire/ (especially NAmE) rent a car/bicycle/moped
stay in a hotel/a bed and breakfast/a youth hostel/a villa/(both BrE) a holiday home/a caravan
cost/charge $100 a/per night for a single/double/twin/standard/(BrE) 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/vacation
Foreign 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/(NAmE also) layover in Hong Kong
experience/cause/lead to delays
check (in)/collect/get/lose (your) (especially BrE) luggage/(especially NAmE) 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 sickness
The tourist industry
attract/draw/bring tourists/visitors
encourage/promote/hurt tourism
promote/develop ecotourism
build/develop/visit a tourist/holiday/(especially BrE) seaside/beach/ski resort
work for/be operated by a major hotel chain
be served by/compete with low-cost/(especially NAmE) low-fare/budget airlines
book sth 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
Example Bank:
• 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.
Idiom: no room to swing a cat
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
room / ruːm / / rʊm / noun (PLACE)
A1 [ C ] a part of the inside of a building that is separated from other parts by walls, floor, and ceiling:
She's waiting for you in the conference room upstairs.
She's upstairs in her room (= her private room, where she sleeps) .
figurative The whole room (= all the people in the room) turned and looked at her.
[ C ] Room is also used as a combining form:
a bedroom
a bathroom
a dining room
a living room
a hotel room
He booked a single/double room (= a room for one person/two people in a hotel) .
rooms [ plural ] UK old-fashioned
a set of rented rooms, especially in a college or university
Word partners for room (SPACE)
leave / make room for sb/sth • take up room • ample / enough / insufficient / sufficient room • room for sb/sth
room / ruːm / / rʊm / noun (SPACE)
B1 [ U ] the amount of space that someone or something needs:
That sofa would take up too much room in the flat.
James took the books off the little table to make room for the television.
He's fainted! Don't crowd him - give him room.
Is there (enough/any) room for me in the car?
[ + to infinitive ] There's hardly room to move in here.
[ U ] opportunity for doing something:
I feel the company has little room for manoeuvre.
Word partners for room (SPACE)
leave / make room for sb/sth • take up room • ample / enough / insufficient / sufficient room • room for sb/sth
© Cambridge University Press 2013
Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
room
[ru͟ːm, r'ʊm]
♦
rooms, rooming, roomed
1) N-COUNT A room is one of the separate sections or parts of the inside of a building. Rooms have their own walls, ceilings, floors, and doors, and are usually used for particular activities. You can refer to all the people who are in a room as the room.
A minute later he excused himself and left the room...
Downstairs are two small rooms: a kitchen and a sitting room...
The largest conference room could seat 5,000 people...
The whole room roared with laughter.
2) N-COUNT: poss N If you talk about your room, you are referring to the room that you alone use, especially your bedroom at home or your office at work.
If you're running upstairs, go to my room and bring down my sweater, please.
3) N-COUNT A room is a bedroom in a hotel.
Toni booked a room in an hotel not far from Arzfeld.
4) VERB If you room with someone, you share a rented room, apartment, or house with them, for example when you are a student. [AM]
[V with n] I had roomed with him in New Haven when we were both at Yale Law School. [Also V together]
5) N-UNCOUNT If there is room somewhere, there is enough empty space there for people or things to be fitted in, or for people to move freely or do what they want to.
→ See also leg room, standing room
There is usually room to accommodate up to 80 visitors...
There wasn't enough room in the baggage compartment for all the gear...
The old artist's studio is a brilliant place for a party with a high ceiling and plenty of room.
6) N-UNCOUNT: usu N for n If there is room for a particular kind of behaviour or action, people are able to behave in that way or to take that action.
The intensity of the work left little room for personal grief or anxiety...
Once the plaster was dry there was no room for correction...
There's lots of room to express yourself creatively.
7) PHRASE: PHR after v, poss PHR, with PHR If you have room for manoeuvre, you have the opportunity to change your plans if it becomes necessary or desirable.
With an election looming, he has little room for manoeuvre.
8) → See also changing room, common room, consulting room, dining room, drawing room, dressing room, elbow room, emergency room, ladies' room, leg room, living room, locker room, men's room, morning room, powder room, reading room, reception room, rest room, spare room, standing room
to give something houseroom → see houseroom
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
1room /ˈruːm/ noun, pl rooms
1 [count]
a : a part of the inside of a building that is divided from other areas by walls and a door and that has its own floor and ceiling
• Cigarette smoke filled the room.
• I could hear the TV from the next room.
• The salesman went into the back room [=a room in the back of a building] to get another pair of shoes for me to try.
b : a room in a house, hotel, etc., where someone sleeps
• a double room [=a room in a hotel where two people can sleep]
• Go to your room!
• He rents rooms to college students.
- see also bedroom, guest room
2 [noncount] : space that is used for something
• We're running out of room in the office.
• The sofa takes up too much room.
• In the backyard there is enough room to run and play.
• Is there enough room to turn the car around?
• There's only room for five people in the car.
• Don't eat too much. You should leave some room for dessert.
• There's no more room on the computer disk to save the file.
• Can we make/find room in the garage for the bicycles?
- see also elbow room, headroom, legroom, standing room
3 [singular] : the people in a room
• The whole room cheered/applauded.
4 [noncount] : the possibility for something to happen or exist - often + for
• There is room for improvement in your essay. [=your essay is not as good as it could be]
• There is no room for doubt about his guilt. [=his guilt is certain]
5 rooms [plural] Brit old-fashioned : apartment
• I visited his rooms in London.