Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

rule the roost

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.00 in modern English

Syllables: rule the roost
IPA

15

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

1

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To be the controlling member(s) of a family, organization, or other group.

Example Sentences

"His was biding his time, and patiently looking forward to the days when he himself would sit authoritative at some board, and talk and direct, and rule the roost, while lesser stars sat round and obeyed."
"Felix (nothing if not modern) had succumbed already to the feeling that youth ruled the roost."
"At that moment in fashion, French couturiers ruled the roost."
"Finn Russell and Owen Farrell kicked two penalties apiece but it was the Scotland stand-off who ruled the roost - despite a ten-minute sin-binning for an attempted trip on England scrum-half Ben Youngs."

Inflected Forms

rules the roost (present, singular) ruling the roost (participle, present) ruled the roost (participle, past) ruled the roost (past)

Phrases

call the shots

Frequently Paired Words

alpha call the shots

Synonyms

wear the trousers

Questions

What does rule the roost mean?: To be the controlling member(s) of a family, organization, or other group.

How to pronounce rule the roost

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “rule the roost”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “rule the roost”.
Repeat and practice — Say “rule the roost” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.