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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

rook

/ɹʊk/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:39
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What does rook mean?

noun

  1. A European bird, Corvus frugilegus, of the crow family.
  2. A cheat or swindler; someone who betrays.
  3. A bad deal; a rip-off.
More meanings (10)

noun

  1. A type of firecracker used by farmers to scare birds of the same name.
  2. A trick-taking game, usually played with a specialized deck of cards.
  3. A piece shaped like a castle tower, that can be moved only up, down, left or right (but not diagonally) or in castling.
  4. (slang) A rookie.
  5. mist; fog; roke
  6. (archaic, slang) A parson.
  7. (rare) A castle or other fortification.

verb

  1. To cheat or swindle.
  2. Pronunciation spelling of look, mimicking Asian speech.
  3. (obsolete) To squat; to ruck.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ɹʊk/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

She wanted to tell Colin about Dickon’s fox cub and the rook and about what the springtime had been doing.
Frances Hodgson BurnettThe Secret GardenProject Gutenberg ebook #113
It is social in its habits, and builds its nest, like the English rook, on trees in the neighbourhood of habitations.
Henry Walter BatesThe Naturalist on the River AmazonsProject Gutenberg ebook #2440
More book examples (3)
Nice gradations of skill were observed among them, and thirteen degrees of odds are enumerated among them down to the rook.
H. E. (Henry Edward) BirdChess History and ReminiscencesProject Gutenberg ebook #4902
White on the move, although his forces are much inferior, can draw the game by checking with the Rook on f3.
Edward LaskerChess and Checkers : the Way to MastershipProject Gutenberg ebook #4913
Calls a house a rookery when there’s not a rook near it, and takes the birds on trust, because he sees the nests!’
Charles DickensDavid CopperfieldProject Gutenberg ebook #766