Roommate: Definition, Examples & Usage

Meaning 1：room sharer (roommate)

roommate 🔊

/ˈruːmˌmeɪt/

A person you share a bedroom or apartment with, often to split the cost of rent and bills.

Two roommates smiling in a shared bedroom with bookshelf

room sharer 🔊

➕

/ruːm ˈʃɛrər/

A person who shares a bedroom or apartment with another, typically to split expenses.

📁 Category：Social Roles 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Room (shared space) + mate (companion), literally 'one who shares a room'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of your 'room' and a 'mate' (friend) – your mate in your room.

📖 Example

My roommate and I take turns cooking dinner, which makes our evenings much more fun and economical. 🔊 My roommate and I take turns cooking dinner, which makes our evenings much more fun and economical.

🔗 Collocations

roommate agreement – A document outlining shared responsibilities and rules between roommates.

roommate conflict – A disagreement or dispute between people living together.

roommate matching – The process of pairing individuals to share a living space based on compatibility.

🔄 Synonyms

housemate (n.) – A person who shares a house or apartment with another, similar to roommate but often for a whole house.

flatmate (n.) – A person who shares a flat (apartment) with another, common in British English.

co-tenant (n.) – A person who jointly rents a property with another person.

🚫 Antonyms

solitary dweller (n.) – A person who lives alone without sharing a living space.

🌱 Derivatives

roomie (n.) – Informal term for roommate.

📖 Cultural Story

Originating in early 20th-century US college dormitories, 'roommate' became common with the rise of shared apartments in cities, reflecting the social and economic practice of splitting rent.