Definition of 'roll'
Word forms: rolls, rolling, rolled
1. transitive verb/intransitive verb
When something rolls or when you roll it, it moves along a surface, turning over many times.
2. intransitive verb
3. intransitive verb
When vehicles roll along, they move along slowly.
4. intransitive verb
5. intransitive verb
6. transitive verb
If you roll something flexible into a cylinder or a ball, you form it into a cylinder or a ball by wrapping it several
times around itself or by shaping it between your hands.
7. countable noun
A roll of paper, plastic, cloth, or wire is a long piece of it that has been wrapped many times
around itself or around a tube.
8. transitive verb
9. transitive verb/intransitive verb
10. countable noun
11. countable noun
A roll of drums is a long, low, fairly loud sound made by drums.
12. countable noun
13. See also
rolling,
rock and roll
14.
See
rolled into one
15.
heads will roll
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
roll
Word Frequency
roll in American English
verb intransitive
1.
a.
to move by turning on an axis or over and over
b.
to rotate about its axis lengthwise, as a
spacecraft in flight
2.
a.
to move or be moved on wheels
b.
to travel in a wheeled vehicle
3.
to travel about;
wander
4.
to pass; elapse
the years rolled by
5.
b.
to be carried in a flow
6.
to extend in
gentle swells or undulations
7.
to make a loud, continuous rising and falling sound
thunder rolls
9.
to trill or
warble
10.
to form a ball or cylinder when turned over and over on itself
said as of cloth or yarn12.
to rock from side to side
the ship pitched and rolled
13.
to walk by swaying
14.
to become flattened or spread under a roller
15.
to make progress; advance
start rolling
16.
to start operating
the presses rolled
17.
to take part in a bowling game
19. US, American Football
to move laterally
said of the passer: in full roll out verb transitive
20.
to move by turning on an axis or over and over
to roll a hoop
21.
to move or send on wheels or rollers
22.
to cause to start operating
23.
to move or send in a full, sweeping motion
24.
to beat (a drum) with blows in rapid, light
succession
25.
to utter with full, flowing sound
to roll one's words
27.
to give a swaying motion to
waves rolling the ship along
28.
to move gently around and around or from side to side
to roll one's eyes
29.
to make into a ball or cylinder by
winding over and over itself or something else
to roll a cigarette
31.
to make flat, smooth, or spread out by using a roller, rolling
pin, etc.
32. US
a.
to throw (the dice) as in the game of
craps
b.
to make (a specified cast) with dice
she rolled a four
34. Bowling
a.
to throw (a ball)
b.
to make (a certain play or score)
to roll a strike
c.
to take part in (a game or games)
to roll three games
35. Printing
to spread ink on (type, a form, etc.) with a roller
noun
36.
the act or an instance of rolling
37.
b.
something that is, or looks as if, rolled up
38.
a register; catalog
39.
a list of names for checking
attendance;
muster roll
40.
a measure of something rolled into a cylinder
a roll of wallpaper
41.
a cylindrical mass of something
a sausage roll
42.
any of various foods that are rolled during preparation
, asa.
any small portion of bread, variously shaped
b.
thin cake covered with fruit, nuts, etc. and rolled
a jelly roll
43.
a roller (in various senses)
44.
a swaying or rolling motion
45.
a rapid succession of light blows on a drum
47.
a full, cadenced flow of words
48.
a trill or warble
49.
a
slight swell or rise on the surface of something, as land
50. US, Slang
money; esp., a wad of paper money
51. Aeronautics
a maneuver in which an
airplane in flight performs one complete rotation around its longitudinal axis
SIMILAR WORDS: list
Idioms:
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME rollen < OFr roller < VL *rotulare < L rotula, rotulus, dim. of rota, wheel < IE *roto-, var. of base *ret(h)-, to run, roll > OIr rethim, (I) run, OHG rad, wheel
Word Frequency
roll in British English
verb
1.
to move or cause to move along by
turning over and over
2.
to move or cause to move along on wheels or
rollers
3.
to flow or cause to flow
onwards in an
undulating movement
billows of smoke rolled over the ground
5. (intransitive; usually foll by around)
to move or occur in cycles
10.
to make or form by shaping into a ball, tube, or cylinder
to roll a cigarette
11. (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
12.
to emit, produce, or utter with a deep
prolonged
reverberating sound
the thunder rolled continuously
14. (intransitive)
(of a vessel, aircraft,
rocket, etc) to turn from side to side around the
longitudinal axis
Compare
pitch1 (sense 11),
yaw (sense 1)15.
to cause (an aircraft) to execute a roll or (of an aircraft) to execute a roll
17. (intransitive; often foll by over)
20.
to throw (dice)
21. (intransitive)
to operate or begin to operate
the presses rolled
23. (transitive) informal, mainly US and New Zealand
noun
26.
the act or an instance of rolling
27.
anything rolled up in a cylindrical form
a roll of newspaper
28.
an official list or register, esp of names
an electoral roll
29.
a rounded mass
rolls of flesh
30.
31.
a cylinder used to
flatten something; roller
32.
33. See also
swiss roll
35.
a swaying, rolling, or
unsteady movement or gait
36.
a deep prolonged reverberating sound
the roll of thunder
37.
a
rhythmic cadenced flow of words
38.
a
trilling sound; trill
40.
41.
the
angular
displacement of a vessel, rocket, missile, etc, caused by rolling
42.
a throw of dice
43.
46.
on a roll
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C14 rollen, from Old French roler, from Latin rotulus a little wheel, from rota a wheel
Word Frequency
roll in Hospitality
(roʊl)
Word forms: (regular plural) rolls
noun
(Hospitality (hotel): Food and drink, breakfast)
A roll is a small piece of bread that is round or long and is made to be eaten by one person.
Rolls can be eaten plain, with butter, or with a filling.
The waitress came in with bread rolls and coffee.
He sipped at his coffee and spread butter on a roll.
Can I have another basket of rolls and some jelly please?
COBUILD Key Words for Hospitality. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Examples of 'roll' in a sentence
roll
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.
Read more…
Word lists with
roll
terms used in aviation,
breadQuick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
Which bread am I?
(in Indian cookery) a flat unleavened bread, resembling a small nan bread, that is fried on a griddle
Which bread am I?
a deep-fried wheat bread of India: the flat round of dough puffs out in the hot oil
Which bread am I?
any of various unleavened loaves and scones, typically cooked on an open fire
Which bread am I?
a hard ring-shaped bread roll, characteristic of Jewish baking
Which bread am I?
a small roll, similar to bread but usually containing sweetening, currants, spices, etc
Your score:
More idioms containing
roll
Trends of
roll
View usage over:
In other languages
roll
British English: roll
/rəʊl/ NOUN
A roll of paper, plastic, cloth, or wire is a long piece of it that has been wrapped many times around itself or around a tube.
...rolls of brightly coloured wrapping paper.
- American English: roll of paper, plastic, cloth, wire
- Arabic: لَفَّة
- Brazilian Portuguese: rolo
- Chinese: 一卷
- Croatian: rola
- Czech: role svitek
- Danish: rulle
- Dutch: rol rolletje
- European Spanish: panecillo
- Finnish: rulla
- French: rouleau
- German: Rolle Gegenstand
- Greek: ρολό
- Italian: rotolo
- Japanese: 転がり
- Korean: 두루마리
- Norwegian: rull
- Polish: rulon
- European Portuguese: rolo
- Romanian: rolă
- Russian: сверток
- Spanish: rollo
- Swedish: rulle
- Thai: ม้วน
- Turkish: yuvarlanma
- Ukrainian: рулон
- Vietnamese: sự lăn tròn
British English: roll
/rəʊl/ VERB
If something rolls or if you roll it, it moves along a surface, turning over many times.
The ball rolled into the net.
- American English: roll
- Arabic: يَتَدَحْرَجُ
- Brazilian Portuguese: rolar-se
- Chinese: 翻滚
- Croatian: kotrljati se
- Czech: kutálet (se)
- Danish: rulle
- Dutch: rollen
- European Spanish: rodar
- Finnish: pyöriä
- French: rouler
- German: rollen
- Greek: κυλώ
- Italian: rotolare
- Japanese: 転がる
- Korean: 구르다
- Norwegian: rulle
- Polish: potoczyć
- European Portuguese: rebolar
- Romanian: a rula
- Russian: катиться
- Spanish: rodar
- Swedish: rulla
- Thai: กลิ้ง
- Turkish: yuvarlanmak
- Ukrainian: скручувати
- Vietnamese: lăn
Source
Definition of roll from the
Collins English Dictionary
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
fantastic atmosphere or poisonous atmosphere?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
fantastic atmosphere
poisonous atmosphere
With more seats made available, it should be a .
attend court or reach court?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
reach court
attend court
The trial may take more than a year to .
field questions or raise questions?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
raise questions
field questions
The proposals also about when workers should retire.
draft proposal or takeover proposal?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
takeover proposal
draft proposal
The board is expected to meet today to consider a formal .
slurred speech or victory speech?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
victory speech
slurred speech
He paid tribute to her in a very emotional .
Your score:
Word of the day
ratatouille
Ratatouille is a cooked dish made with vegetables such as tomatoes, onions , aubergines, courgettes, and peppers.
Latest Word Submissions
From glamping to drivecations: the search for the best staycation
Riddle: When is a staycation not a staycation?
To me it seems like centuries ago that we Brits first cottoned on to that handy word staycation. I’d place it at about 15 years ago – which at today’s speed of change feels more like 150.
Read more
Study guides for every stage of your learning journey
Whether you're in search of a crossword puzzle, a detailed guide to tying knots, or tips on writing the perfect college essay, Harper Reference has you covered for all your study needs.
Read more
Anticipation and rain check are among the most frequently looked-up words in July
Perhaps the most striking thing about the list of words that people have looked up in the Collins Dictionary in July is that it no longer contains a lot of words that were being looked up earlier in the year.
Read more
Collins English Dictionary Apps
Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android.
Read more
Collins Dictionaries for Schools
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom.
Read more
Word lists
We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots!
Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!
Read more
Join the Collins community
All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month.
Read more
Updating our Usage
There are many diverse influences on the way that English is used across the world today. We look at some of the ways in which the language is changing. Read our series of blogs to find out more.
Read more
Area 51, Starship, and Harvest Moon: September’s Words in the News
I’m sure a lot of people would agree that we live in strange times. But do they have to be so strange that Area 51 is making headlines? And what’s this about fish the look like aliens. September’s Words in the News explain all.
Read more
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
face the danger or spell danger?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
spell danger
face the danger
This could for the global economy.
cut the dividends or reap dividends?
Which version is correct?
divorce battle or leadership battle?
Which version is correct?
mathematical formula or successful formula?
Which version is correct?
deny treatment or improve treatments?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
improve treatments
deny treatment
Researchers will help us better understand the causes and .
Your score: