verb
roust
To perform heavy manual work.
He spends the summer rousting on the docks.
Etymology
This labor sense is associated with roustabout, a worker doing general heavy tasks. Its exact development is uncertain, so a more specific origin is not asserted.
More examples
- The memoir describes workers rousting heavy loads along the waterfront.
- She hires a crew to roust during the busy unloading season.
- The men had rousted all day before the last ship was empty.
Forms
roust · rousts · rousted · rousting