roust

roust

1. To bring one back to consciousness or alertness out of some state of unconsciousness. I find that I need two separate alarms to roust me from sleep in the morning. No amount of noise could roust him out of his stupor.

2. To drive or force someone out of or away from some place or thing. We'd been studying so long that a security guard eventually came to roust us from the library. The government began deploying tear gas to roust protestors out of the camp. I sent Mike upstairs to roust his older brother out of bed.

3. To harass, confront, or accost someone. The police have rousted Jim several times already in their attempt to pin the crime on him. The mob boss has been sending armed thugs around to roust local business owners, trying to scare them into paying protection money.

roust (one) out of (something)

1. To bring one back to consciousness or alertness out of some state of unconsciousness. I find that I need two separate alarms to roust me out of sleep in the morning. No amount of noise could roust him out of his stupor.

2. To drive or force one out of or away from some place or thing. We'd been studying so long that a security guard eventually came to roust us out of the library. The government began deploying tear gas to roust protestors out of the camp. I sent Mike upstairs to roust his older brother out of bed.

See also: of, out, roust

roust out

1. To cause someone to come out of slumber or some state of unconsciousness. A noun or pronoun can be used between "roust" and "out." The sound of the cockerel in the yard rousted me out of my sleep. These smelling salts should roust the poor man out of this fainting fit.

2. To drive or force someone or an animal out of or away from some place or thing. A noun or pronoun can be used between "roust" and "out." We'd been studying so long in the library that a security guard eventually came to roust us out. I used a long pole to roust out the family of skunks that had taken up residence beneath my porch.

See also: out, roust

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

roust someone out of something

 and roust someone out

to force someone out of something. Bob's brother rousted him out of bed just in time for the school bus. He rousted out his brother.

See also: of, out, roust

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

roust

(rɑʊst)

1. tv. [for a police officer] to bother or interfere with someone; to arrest someone. (see also rousted. Underworld.) The cops rousted the gang without warning.

2. tv. to raid someone’s residence; to bust a person or place. (Underworld.) That bar was rousted last week.

3. n. a raid or a bust. Okay, stand still. This is a roust!

rousted

(ˈrɑʊstəd)

mod. arrested. (Underworld.) The cops rousted the dealers, but that didn’t even slow down the drug trade.

See also: roust

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.