room

A room is an interior space for a specific activity:

• You can get a room at a hotel.
• Hospitals have rooms for patients.
• A locker room is a place where athletes change their clothes for sporting events.
• A dressing room is a place where performers change their clothes for performances.
• An office is a room in which people do work for a company.

office

There are specific rooms in a house.

• You sleep in a bedroom.
• A living room or a family room is a place where a family gathers.
• A dining room is a place to eat meals.
• A bathroom is a place for cleaning your body.

Facilities for going to the bathroom go by various names:

• Men use the men’s room.
• Women use the ladies’ room.
• There are signs in public places for restrooms. A restroom is a bathroom.
• Some people call a bathroom a washroom.

The word "room" can also be used when talking about personal space or personal development:

• A person needs room to grow.
• I need some room to work here. (I need an area in which to do some work: a desk, a table, floor space.)
• Give me some room.
• Do you have enough room to sit down?
• Let me give you some room.

When the word "room" is used as a verb, it means to share space–a room or an apartment–with another person:

• Who are you rooming with?
• Joe says he’s rooming with two other guys next year.
• Lisa says she’s rooming with some friends when she visits Italy.

The person with whom you share a room or an apartment is called a roommate.

• Bob has two roommates.
• Cindy is looking for a couple of roommates for a house.
• Ted complains about his roommate all the time. He should get a new roommate.

When the word "roomy" is used as an adjective, it means that there is a lot of space.

• The inside of this car is very roomy.
• Sophia likes her apartment because it’s so roomy.
• Hotel suites are popular because guests find them roomy enough for an entire family.

Click here for more vocabulary words.

June 20, 2018