- (often used in compounds) a long straight piece of wood, metal or glass
- The concrete is reinforced with steel rods.
- I finally managed to fix the curtain rods above the windows.
Extra Examples- After the accident she had an operation to put strengthening rods in her legs.
- He heated the end of the iron rod.
- a glass fibre rod 2 or 3 mm in diameter
- (also fishing rod, North American English also fishing pole)a long wooden or plastic stick with a fishing line and hook attached, used for catching fish
- fishing with rod and line
- (also the rod)(old-fashioned) a stick that is used for hitting people as a punishment
- There used to be a saying: ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child.’
- (North American English, slang) a small gun see also dowsing rod, fuel rod, hot rod
Word Originlate Old English rodd ‘slender shoot growing on or cut from a tree’, also ‘straight stick or bundle of twigs used to inflict punishment’; probably related to Old Norse rudda ‘club’.
Idioms
See rod in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee rod in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishmake a rod for your own back
- to do something that will cause problems for you in the futureTopics Difficulty and failurec2
a rod/stick to beat somebody with
- a fact, an argument, etc. that is used in order to blame or punish somebodyTopics Opinion and argumentc2
rule (somebody/something) with a rod of iron
- to control a person or a group of people very severely
Check pronunciation:
rod