/ rəʊst; NAmE roʊst/ verb , noun , adjective
■ verb
1.
to cook food, especially meat, without liquid in an oven or over a fire; to be cooked in this way :
[ vn ]
to roast a chicken
[ v ]
the smell of roasting meat
2.
[ vn ] to cook nuts, beans , etc. in order to dry them and turn them brown :
roasted chestnuts
3.
[ vn ] ( informal or humorous ) to be very angry with sb; to criticize sb strongly
4.
( informal ) to become or to make sth become very hot in the sun or by a fire :
[ v ]
She could feel her skin beginning to roast.
[also vn ]
■ noun
1.
( BrE also joint ) a large piece of meat that is cooked whole in the oven :
the Sunday roast
2.
( NAmE ) (often in compounds) a party that takes place in sb's garden / yard at which food is cooked over an open fire :
a hot dog roast
3.
( NAmE ) an event, especially a meal, at which people celebrate sb's life by telling funny stories about them
■ adjective
[ only before noun ] cooked in an oven or over a fire :
roast chicken
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French rostir , of West Germanic origin.