roll
[ rohl ]
/ roʊl /
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.
to elapse, pass, or move, as time (often followed by on, away, or by).
to move as in a cycle (usually followed by round or around): as soon as summer rolls round 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.Compare heave(def 14b), pitch1(def 20).
- 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 by out).
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: to roll one's r's.
to cause to revolve or turn over or over and over: to roll oneself on one's face.
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 by out): 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.
(in certain games, as craps) to cast, or throw (dice).
Printing.
to apply (ink) with a roller or series of rollers.
Slang.
to rob, especially by going through the pockets of a victim who is either asleep or drunk.
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.
Cookery.
- thin cake spread with jelly or the like and rolled up.
- a small cake of bread, originally and still often rolled or doubled on itself before baking.
- meat rolled up and cooked.
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.
- paper currency carried folded or rolled up: He took out an impressive roll and paid the check with a $100 bill.
- bankroll; funds: People were encouraged to shoot their rolls on mining speculation.
(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 Phrases
roll back,
to reduce (the price of a commodity, wages, etc.) to a former level, usually in response to government action.
roll in, Informal.
- to luxuriate in; abound in: rolling in money.
- 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.
- to arrive, especially in large numbers or quantity: When do my dividends start rolling in?
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 over,
- 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.
Idioms for 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.
on a roll,
roll in the hay, Slang.
an instance of sexual intercourse.
roll one's eyes,
to turn one's eyes around in different directions or in a circle, especially as an expression of disbelief, annoyance, or impatience: He rolled his eyes when he heard the stupid joke.
roll with the punches.
punch1(def 16).
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.
Origin of roll
1175–1225; (noun) (in senses referring to rolled or round objects) Middle English: scroll, inscribed scroll, register, cylindrical object < Old French
ro(u)lle < Latin
rotulus, rotula small wheel, diminutive of
rota wheel (see
rotate1,
-ule); (in senses referring to motion) derivative of the v.; (v.) Middle English
rollen < Old French
rol(l)er < Vulgar Latin
*rotulare, derivative of Latin
rotulus, rotula
OTHER WORDS FROM roll
roll·a·ble, adjective re·roll, verb un·roll·a·ble, adjective well-rolled, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH roll
role rollWords nearby roll
role-playing game,
rolf,
rolf kraki,
rolfe,
rolfing,
roll,
roll around,
roll back,
roll bag,
roll bar,
roll book
British Dictionary definitions for on a roll
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
(intr usually foll by around)
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 (def. 11), yaw (def. 1)
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 (def. 41)
(intr)
to walk with a swaying gait, as when drunk; sway
(intr often foll by over)
(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
(intr) informal
to make progress; move or go ahead
let the good times roll
(tr) informal, mainly US and NZ
to rob (a helpless person, such as someone drunk or asleep)
(tr) slang
to have sexual intercourse or foreplay with (a person)
start the ball rolling or set the ball rolling
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)
US slang
an amount of money, esp a wad of paper money
on a roll slang
experiencing continued good luck or success
strike off the roll or strike off the rolls
- to expel from membership
- to debar (a solicitor) from practising, usually because of dishonesty
Word Origin for roll
C14
rollen, from Old French
roler, from Latin
rotulus a little wheel, from
rota a wheel
Idioms and Phrases with on a roll (1 of 2)
on a roll
On a streak of success or intense activity, as in The team's scored three runs in the last inning and they're really on a roll, or Once the experiment succeeded, Tim was on a roll. This slangy term, alluding to the momentum in the act of rolling, dates from the second half of the 1900s, but roll alone has been used in this sense since the early 1800s.
Idioms and Phrases with on a roll (2 of 2)
roll
In addition to the idioms beginning with roll
- roll around
- roll back
- roll in
- rolling stone
- roll in the aisles
- roll in the hay
- roll out
- roll over
- roll the bones
- roll up
- roll up one's sleeves
- roll with the punches
also see:
- easy as pie (rolling off a log)
- get rolling
- get the ball rolling
- heads will roll
- on a roll
- red carpet