Meanings
nounroommate (plural roommates)
plural roommates
- A person with whom one shares a room, as in a dormitory, barracks, rooming house, or apartment.
Synonyms: chambermate
- AustraliaCanadaNew ZealandPhilippinesUSA person sharing the same home albeit not the same room (but generally not a family member or spouse).
I live with Marsha. We’re roommates.
2016, “Learning English (public domain)”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), archived from the original on 18 Sep 2017 - humorousironicLGBTQ slangA same-sex significant other with whom one lives; a coinhabitant in a non-heterosexual relationship.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person with whom one shares a room, as in a dormitory, barracks, rooming house, or apartment.
Similar
nounA person sharing the same home albeit not the same room (but generally not a family member or spouse).
More synonyms by meaning
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*Hrew-?
- Proto-Indo-European*(H)rewH-
- Proto-Germanic*rūmą
- Proto-West Germanic*rūm
- Old Englishrūm
- Middle Englishroum
- Englishroom
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
- Proto-Germanic*ga-
- Proto-Indo-European*meh₂d-
- Proto-Germanic*matiz
- Proto-Germanic*matjô
- Proto-West Germanic*gamatjô
- Old Saxongimato
- Middle Low Germanmate
- Middle Englishmate
- Englishmate
- Englishroommate
Translations
Arabic رَفِيق السَّكَن
- رَفِيق السَّكَن (rafīq as-sakan)a person with whom one shares a room
Basque etxelagun
- etxelaguna person with whom one shares a room
Bulgarian съквартирант
- съквартирант (săkvartirant)a person with whom one shares a room
Catalan company d'habitació
- company d'habitacióa person with whom one shares a room
Chinese Mandarin 室友, 同屋
- 室友 (shìyǒu)a person with whom one shares a room
- 同屋 (tóngwū)a person with whom one shares a room
- 室友 (shìyǒu)US: with whom one shares an apartment or house
- 同屋 (tóngwū)US: with whom one shares an apartment or house
Czech spolubydlící
- spolubydlícía person with whom one shares a room
Dutch kamergenoot, huisgenoot
- kamergenoota person with whom one shares a room
- huisgenootUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
Esperanto samĉambro, kunloĝanto
- samĉambroa person with whom one shares a room
- kunloĝantoUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
Estonian toakaaslane, toanaaber
- toakaaslanea person with whom one shares a room
- toanaabera person with whom one shares a room
Finnish huonetoveri, huonekaveri
- huonetoveria person with whom one shares a room
- huonekaveria person with whom one shares a room
- asuintoveriUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
- kämppäkaveriUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
French camarade de chambre, camarade de chambrée
- camarade de chambrea person with whom one shares a room
- camarade de chambréea person with whom one shares a room
- copiaulea person with whom one shares a room
- cothurnea person with whom one shares a room
- colocataireUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
- colocUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
German Mitbewohner, Mitbewohnerin
- Mitbewohnera person with whom one shares a room
- Mitbewohnerina person with whom one shares a room
- Zimmergenossea person with whom one shares a room
- Zimmergenossina person with whom one shares a room
- Zimmerkollegea person with whom one shares a room
- Zimmerkollegina person with whom one shares a room
Greek συγκάτοικος, συγκάτοικος
- συγκάτοικος (sygkátoikos)a person with whom one shares a room
- συγκάτοικος (sygkátoikos)US: with whom one shares an apartment or house
Hebrew שׁוּתָּף, שׁוּתָּפָה
- שׁוּתָּף (shutáf)a person with whom one shares a room
- שׁוּתָּפָה (shutafá)a person with whom one shares a room
- שׁוּתָּפִים (shutafím)a person with whom one shares a room
- שׁוּתָּפוֹת (shutafót)a person with whom one shares a room
- בֶּן בַּיִת (ben báyit)US: with whom one shares an apartment or house
Hindi सहवासी, सहवासी
- सहवासी (sahvāsī)a person with whom one shares a room
- सहवासी (sahvāsī)US: with whom one shares an apartment or house
Hungarian szobatárs, lakótárs
- szobatársa person with whom one shares a room
- lakótársUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
Indonesian rekan kamar, teman sekamar
- rekan kamara person with whom one shares a room
- teman sekamara person with whom one shares a room
- rekan gedungUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
- teman segedungUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
Irish comrádaí seomra
- comrádaí seomraa person with whom one shares a room
Italian compagno di stanza, coinquilina
- compagno di stanzaa person with whom one shares a room
- coinquilinaa person with whom one shares a room
- coinquilinoa person with whom one shares a room
- coinquilinoUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
Japanese 同居人, ルームメイト
- 同居人 (dōkyonin)a person with whom one shares a room
- ルームメイト (rūmumēto)a person with whom one shares a room
- 部屋っ子 (heyakko)a person with whom one shares a room
- 同居人 (dōkyonin)US: with whom one shares an apartment or house
- ルームメイト (rūmumēto)US: with whom one shares an apartment or house
- ハウスメイト (hausumēto)US: with whom one shares an apartment or house
- 部屋っ子 (heyakko)US: with whom one shares an apartment or house
Korean 동숙인, 룸메이트
- 동숙인 (dongsugin)a person with whom one shares a room
- 룸메이트 (rummeiteu)a person with whom one shares a room
Latvian istabas biedrs, istabas biedrs
- istabas biedrsa person with whom one shares a room
- istabas biedrsa person with whom one shares a room
- istabas biedrenea person with whom one shares a room
Norwegian romkamerat
- romkamerata person with whom one shares a room
Persian هماتاقی
- هماتاقی (ham-otâqi)a person with whom one shares a room
Polish współlokator, współlokatorka
- współlokatora person with whom one shares a room
- współlokatorkaa person with whom one shares a room
- współlokatorUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
- współlokatorkaUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
Portuguese companheiro de quarto, colega de quarto
- companheiro de quartoa person with whom one shares a room
- colega de quartoa person with whom one shares a room
- colocatárioUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
- coabitanteUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
Russian сосе́д по ко́мнате, сосе́дка по ко́мнате
- сосе́д по ко́мнате (soséd po kómnate)a person with whom one shares a room
- сосе́дка по ко́мнате (sosédka po kómnate)a person with whom one shares a room
- сожилец (sožilec)a person with whom one shares a room
- сожилица (sožilica)a person with whom one shares a room
Spanish compañero de cuarto
- compañero de cuartoa person with whom one shares a room
Swedish rumskamrat, inneboende
- rumskamrata person with whom one shares a room
- inneboendeUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
- samboendeUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
- samboUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
Thai เพื่อนร่วมห้อง
- เพื่อนร่วมห้อง (pʉ̂ʉan-rûuam-hɔ̂ng)a person with whom one shares a room
Turkish oda arkadaşı, ev arkadaşı
- oda arkadaşıa person with whom one shares a room
- ev arkadaşıUS: with whom one shares an apartment or house
Urdu ہم کمرہ, ہم اطاق
- ہم کمرہ (ham kamra)a person with whom one shares a room
- ہم اطاق (ham utāq)a person with whom one shares a room
Vietnamese bạn cùng phòng
- bạn cùng phònga person with whom one shares a room
Cite this entry
APA
roommate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/roommate
MLA
“roommate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/roommate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “roommate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/roommate.
Source: roommate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.