Advertisement
Advertisement
roll
[rohl]
verb (used without object)
to move along a surface by revolving or turning over and over, as a ball or a wheel.
to move or be moved on wheels, as a vehicle or its occupants.
to flow or advance in a stream or with an undulating motion, as water, waves, or smoke.
to extend in undulations, as land.
Synonyms: undulateto elapse, pass, or move, as time (often followed by on, away, orby ).
to move as in a cycle (usually followed by around orround ).
as soon as summer rolls around again.
to perform a periodical revolution in an orbit, as a heavenly body.
to emit or have a deep, prolonged sound, as thunder, drums, etc.
to trill, as a bird.
to revolve or turn over, once or repeatedly, as a wheel on an axis or a person or animal lying down.
to turn around in different directions or in a circle, as the eyes in their sockets.
(of a vessel)
to rock from side to side in open water.
to sail with a side-to-side rocking motion.
to walk with a swinging or swaying gait.
Informal., to begin to move or operate; start; commence.
Let's roll at sunrise.
Informal., to go forward or advance without restrictions or impediments.
The economy is finally beginning to roll.
to curl up so as to form a tube or cylinder.
to admit of being formed into a tube or cylinder by curling up.
to be spread out after being curled up (usually followed byout ).
to spread out as under a roller.
The paint rolls easily.
Aviation., (of an aircraft or rocket) to deviate from a stable flight attitude by rotation about its longitudinal axis.
verb (used with object)
to cause to move along a surface by revolving or turning over and over, as a cask, a ball, or a hoop.
to move along on wheels or rollers; convey in a wheeled vehicle.
to drive, impel, or cause to flow onward with a sweeping or undulating motion.
The wind rolled the waves high on the beach.
to utter or give forth with a full, flowing, continuous sound.
rolling his orotund phrases.
to trill.
I have trouble rolling my R’s in Spanish.
to cause to revolve or turn over or over and over.
to roll oneself onto one's front.
to cause to sway or rock from side to side, as a ship.
to wrap (something) around an axis, around upon itself, or into a cylindrical shape, ball, or the like.
to roll string.
to make by forming a tube or cylinder.
to roll a cigarette.
to spread out flat (something curled up) (often followed byout ).
He rolled the map out on the table.
to wrap, enfold, or envelop, as in some covering.
to roll a child in a blanket.
to spread out, level, smooth, compact, or the like, as with a rolling pin, roller, the hands, etc..
to roll dough;
to roll a tennis court.
to form (metal) in a rolling mill.
to tumble (metal pieces and abrasives) in a box or barrel in such a way that their relative positions remain the same.
to beat (a drum) with rapid, continuous strokes.
to cast or throw (a die or dice).
to obtain (a specified number of pips) when casting a die or dice.
If you roll two sixes, you get an extra turn.
Printing., to apply (ink) with a roller or series of rollers.
Slang.
to rob (a sleeping or drunk victim), especially by going through the person’s pockets to find money.
Bar staff had been rolling the tourists before sending them back to their hotels in taxis, and their victims never remembered a thing when they woke up.
to mug by beating the victim unconscious and then stealing from that person.
When we ran out of money, we rolled our dealer and took his stash.
to beat up.
New gang members were rolled as part of their initiation.
Slang., to defeat (an adversary) soundly.
The home team rolled the visiting team and ran up the score in the final minutes of the game.
Slang., to deceive or manipulate (a decision-maker or influencer) in order to get one’s way or advance one’s agenda.
The inexperienced new chairman was rolled by executives who never supported the company’s rebranding efforts.
noun
a document of paper, parchment, or the like, that is or may be rolled up, as for storing; scroll.
a list, register, or catalog, especially one containing the names of the persons belonging to a company, class, society, etc.
anything rolled up in a ringlike or cylindrical form.
a roll of wire.
a number of papers or other items rolled up together.
a length of cloth, wallpaper, or the like, rolled up in cylindrical form (often forming a definite measure).
a cylindrical or rounded mass of something.
rolls of fat.
some article of cylindrical or rounded form, as a molding.
a cylindrical piece upon which something is rolled along to facilitate moving.
a cylinder serving as a core upon which something is rolled up.
a roller with which something is spread out, leveled, crushed, smoothed, compacted, or the like.
Cooking.
a small cake of bread, originally and still often rolled or doubled on itself before baking.
a dinner roll with butter.
thin cake spread with jelly or the like and rolled up.
cinnamon rolls.
meat rolled up and cooked.
cabbage rolls with ground beef and rice.
a kind of sushi, shaped into a cone, or into a cylinder that is sliced into bite-size pieces.
We ordered some sashimi and a few rolls.
the act or process or an instance of rolling.
undulation, as of a surface.
the roll of a prairie.
a sonorous or rhythmical flow of words.
a deep, prolonged sound, as of thunder.
the deep roll of a breaking wave.
the trill of certain birds, especially of the roller canary.
the continuous sound of a drum rapidly beaten.
a rolling motion, as of a ship.
a rolling or swaying gait.
Aerospace.
a single, complete rotation of an airplane about the axis of the fuselage with little loss of altitude or change of direction.
(of an aircraft or rocket) the act of rolling.
the angular displacement caused by rolling.
Informal.
(in various dice games)
a single cast of or turn at casting the dice.
the total number of pips or points made by a single cast; score or point.
verb phrase
roll back
to reduce (the price of a commodity, wages, etc.) to a former level, usually in response to government action.
to restore to a previous state: The laissez-faire policy would roll back some environmental regulations.
The help desk suggested rolling back my computer’s operating system to eliminate the update that was causing the crashes.
The laissez-faire policy would roll back some environmental regulations.
to cause (an enemy) to retreat or withdraw.
roll in
to arrive, especially in large numbers or quantity.
When do my dividends start rolling in?
to go to bed; retire.
They would roll in later and later every night.
to mix and average the cost of (a higher-priced commodity or item) with that of a cheaper one so as to increase the retail price.
to add.
Labor wants to roll in periodic increases with their wage demands.
roll over
Personal Finance, Business., to reinvest funds, especially a tax-free transfer of assets from one retirement plan to another.
to overturn.
The truck rolled over, and the driver hung by her seatbelt.
to turn over.
I rolled over in my sleep and nearly fell out of bed.
roll up
to accumulate; collect.
to roll up a large vote.
to increase.
to arrive in a conveyance.
He rolled up to the front door in a chauffeur-driven limousine.
roll out
to spread out or flatten.
to roll out dough.
Informal., to arise from bed; get up.
It was nearly impossible to roll out on the first day back after vacation.
Football., to execute a rollout.
Informal., to introduce; unveil.
a TV advertising campaign to roll out the new car.
roll
/ rəʊl /
verb
to move or cause to move along by turning over and over
to move or cause to move along on wheels or rollers
to flow or cause to flow onwards in an undulating movement
billows of smoke rolled over the ground
(intr) (of animals, etc) to turn onto the back and kick
the hills roll down to the sea
(intr) to extend in undulations
the hills roll down to the sea
to move or occur in cycles
(intr) (of a planet, the moon, etc) to revolve in an orbit
(intr; foll by on, by, etc) to pass or elapse
the years roll by
to rotate or cause to rotate wholly or partially
to roll one's eyes
to curl, cause to curl, or admit of being curled, so as to form a ball, tube, or cylinder; coil
to make or form by shaping into a ball, tube, or cylinder
to roll a cigarette
(often foll by out) to spread or cause to spread out flat or smooth under or as if under a roller
to roll the lawn
to roll pastry
to emit, produce, or utter with a deep prolonged reverberating sound
the thunder rolled continuously
to trill or cause to be trilled
to roll one's r's
(intr) (of a vessel, aircraft, rocket, etc) to turn from side to side around the longitudinal axis Compare pitch 1 yaw
to cause (an aircraft) to execute a roll or (of an aircraft) to execute a roll (sense 40) (of an aircraft) to execute or cause an aircraft to execute a roll
(intr) to walk with a swaying gait, as when drunk; sway
(of an animal, esp a dog) to lie on its back and wriggle while kicking its legs in the air, without moving along
(intr) to wallow or envelop oneself (in)
(tr) to apply ink to (type, etc) with a roller or rollers
to throw (dice)
(intr) to operate or begin to operate
the presses rolled
informal, (intr) to make progress; move or go ahead
let the good times roll
informal, (tr) to rob (a helpless person, such as someone drunk or asleep)
slang, (tr) to have sexual intercourse or foreplay with (a person)
to open or initiate (an action, discussion, movement, etc)
noun
the act or an instance of rolling
anything rolled up in a cylindrical form
a roll of newspaper
an official list or register, esp of names
an electoral roll
a rounded mass
rolls of flesh
a strip of material, esp leather, fitted with pockets or pouches for holding tools, toilet articles, needles and thread, etc
a cylinder used to flatten something; roller
a small loaf of bread for one person: eaten plain, with butter, or as a light meal when filled with meat, cheese, etc
a flat pastry or cake rolled up with a meat ( sausage roll ), jam ( jam roll ), or other filling See also swiss roll
a swell, ripple, or undulation on a surface
the roll of the hills
a swaying, rolling, or unsteady movement or gait
a deep prolonged reverberating sound
the roll of thunder
a rhythmic cadenced flow of words
a trilling sound; trill
a very rapid beating of the sticks on a drum
a flight manoeuvre in which an aircraft makes one complete rotation about its longitudinal axis without loss of height or change in direction
the angular displacement of a vessel, rocket, missile, etc, caused by rolling
a throw of dice
a bookbinder's tool having a brass wheel, used to impress a line or repeated pattern on the cover of a book
slang, an act of sexual intercourse or petting (esp in the phrase a roll in the hay )
slang, an amount of money, esp a wad of paper money
slang, experiencing continued good luck or success
to expel from membership
to debar (a solicitor) from practising, usually because of dishonesty
Other Word Forms
- rollable adjective
- reroll verb
- unrollable adjective
- well-rolled adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of roll1
Word History and Origins
Origin of roll1
Idioms and Phrases
roll one's eyes, to turn one's eyes upward or around in a circle, especially as an expression of disbelief, annoyance, impatience, or disdain.
He rolled his eyes when he heard the stupid joke.
on a roll,
(in a gambling game) having a continuing winning streak.
enjoying continuing good luck or success.
She's been on a roll since taking that course on sales techniques.
strike off / from the rolls, to remove from membership or practice, as to disbar.
He will surely be struck off the rolls if this conduct continues.
roll with the punches, punch.
roll in the hay, an instance of sexual intercourse.
More idioms and phrases containing roll
- easy as pie (rolling off a log)
- get rolling
- get the ball rolling
- heads will roll
- on a roll
- red carpet
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
A true rock ’n’ roll persona, the artist was once rarely seen without a drooping cigarette and a top hat, the latter of which could barely contain his face-engulfing curly hair.
While Pasadena will be the center of the rock and roll universe this weekend, Oasis posted a live map of pre-parties and band-historic sites in Los Angeles where the devoted can take a pilgrimage.
The scale of the workload now being anticipated holds out the prospect of demand for rolled steel plates from the Dalzell steelworks in Motherwell.
It’s all these words that are just kind of fun to roll off your tongue.
But not long after, a fierce storm rolled through the area.
Advertisement
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse
