rook

1 of 4

noun (1)

: a common Old World gregarious crow (Corvus frugilegus) that nests and roosts in usually treetop colonies

Illustration of rook

Illustration of rook

rook

2 of 4

verb

rooked; rooking; rooks

transitive verb

: to defraud by cheating or swindling

rook

3 of 4

noun (2)

: either of two pieces of each color in a set of chessmen having the power to move along the ranks or files across any number of unoccupied squares

called also castle

rook

4 of 4

noun (3)

: rookie

Examples of rook in a Sentence

Verb once you learn to recognize these swindler's tricks, no one will be able to use them to rook you Noun (3) every year the coaches have to deal with rooks who don't know the rules yet
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The former Oregon Duck got a 71 rating, the same as fellow rook JJ McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings. Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 4 Aug. 2024 At the far end of one row, Officer Richard Kruse claimed an easy victory over Jessie Milo after knocking his rook out with a bishop. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 29 July 2024
Verb
The state says Trump rooked his way into the financing, at attractive interest rates, by padding his wealth. Michael R. Sisak, Fortune, 16 Dec. 2023 See all Example Sentences for rook 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rook.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English hrōc; akin to Old High German hruoch rook

Noun (2)

Middle English rok, from Anglo-French roc, from Arabic rukhkh, from Persian rukh

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1595, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1905, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rook was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near rook

Cite this Entry

“Rook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rook. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

rook

1 of 3 noun
: a common Old World crow that nests and sleeps in groups usually in treetops

rook

2 of 3 verb

rook

3 of 3 noun
: a chessman that can move parallel to the sides of the board across any number of unoccupied squares
Etymology

Noun

Old English hrōc "crowlike bird"

Noun

Middle English rok "chess piece," from early French roc (same meaning), from Arabic rukhkh (same meaning); of Persian origin

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