roll
roll (rōl)
intransitive verb
- to move by turning on an axis or over and over
- to rotate about its axis lengthwise, as a spacecraft in flight
- to move or be moved on wheels
- to travel in a wheeled vehicle
- to travel about; wander
- to pass; elapse the years rolled by
- to flow, as water, in a full swelling or sweeping motion the waves rolling against the boat
- to be carried in a flow
- to extend in gentle swells or undulations
- to make a loud, continuous rising and falling sound thunder rolls
- to rise and fall in a full, mellow cadence: said of sound, speech, etc.
- to trill or warble
- to form a ball or cylinder when turned over and over on itself: said as of cloth or yarn
- to turn in a circular motion or move back and forth with eyes rolling
- to rock from side to side the ship pitched and rolled
- to walk by swaying
- to become flattened or spread under a roller
- to make progress; advance start rolling
- to start operating the presses rolled
- to take part in a bowling game
- Informal to have plenty; abound (in) rolling in wealth
- ☆ Football to move laterally: said of the passer
Etymology: ME rollen < OFr roller < VL *rotulare < L rotula: see rollthe
transitive verb
- to move by turning on an axis or over and over to roll a hoop
- to move or send on wheels or rollers
- to cause to start operating
- to move or send in a full, sweeping motion
- to beat (a drum) with blows in rapid, light succession
- to utter with full, flowing sound to roll one's words
- to pronounce or say with a trill to roll one's r's
- to give a swaying motion to waves rolling the ship along
- to move gently around and around or from side to side to roll one's eyes
- to make into a ball or cylinder by winding over and over itself or something else to roll a cigarette
- to wrap or enfold, as in a covering to roll a child in a blanket
- to make flat, smooth, or spread out by using a roller, rolling pin, etc.
- ☆
- to throw (the dice) as in the game of craps
- to make (a specified cast) with dice she rolled a four
- ☆ Slang to rob (a drunken or sleeping person)
- Bowling
- to throw (a ball)
- to make (a certain play or score) to roll a strike
- to take part in (a game or games) to roll three games
- Printing to spread ink on (type, a form, etc.) with a roller
noun
- the act or an instance of rolling
- a paper, parchment, etc. that is rolled up; scroll
- something that is, or looks as if, rolled up
- a register; catalog
- a list of names for checking attendance; muster roll
- a measure of something rolled into a cylinder a roll of wallpaper
- a cylindrical mass of something a sausage roll
- any of various foods that are rolled during preparation, as
- any small portion of bread, variously shaped
- thin cake covered with fruit, nuts, etc. and rolled a jelly roll
- beef, veal, etc. rolled and cooked
- a roller (in various senses)
- a swaying or rolling motion
- a rapid succession of light blows on a drum
- a loud, reverberating sound; peal, as of thunder
- a full, cadenced flow of words
- a trill or warble
- a slight swell or rise on the surface of something, as land
- ☆ Slang money; esp., a wad of paper money
- Aeron. a maneuver in which an airplane in flight performs one complete rotation around its longitudinal axis
- Bookbinding a revolving tool used in making an impression or pattern
Etymology: ME rolle < OFr < L rotula, rotulus, dim. of rota, wheel < IE *roto-, var. of base *ret(h)-, to run, roll > OIr rethim, (I) run, OHG rad, wheel
a roll in the hay
Slang sexual intercourse
be on a roll
Informal to have a series of successes; go from success to success
roll back
- to move back
- ☆ to reduce (prices) to a previous or standard level by government action and control
roll in
to assemble, arrive, or appear, usually in large numbers or amounts
roll out
- to flatten into a sheet by rolling
- to spread out by unrolling
- Slang to get out of bed
- Business to introduce (a new product)
- Football
roll over
- ☆ to refinance (a maturing note, etc.)
- ☆ to reinvest (funds) so as to defer the payment of taxes
roll round
to recur, as in a cycle winter rolled round again
roll up
- to make or put into the form of a roll
- to wrap up by turning over and over
- to acquire or increase by accumulation
- Informal to arrive in a vehicle
roll with a punch
or roll with the punchInformal- to move in the same direction as a punch thrown at one so as to lessen its force
- to lessen the impact of a misfortune by not resisting too violently
strike off the rolls
or strike from the rollsto expel from membership
roll
n.
The act of rolling
turn, turning over, throw, toss, revolution, rotation, wheeling, trundling, whirl, gyration. A rolled up object
scroll, volute, spiral, coil, whorl, convolution, cartouche, fold, shell, cone, tube, cylinder, cornucopia. A long, heavy sound
thunder, rumble, roar, drumbeat; see noise 1.A small, fine bread].
Types of rolls include: Parker House, potato, egg, water, hard, butter, finger, cinnamon, sweet, crescent, croissant, French, clover-leaf, poppy-seed, biscuit, danish, brioche, dinner; bagel, hot cross bun;
A list
register, roster, muster roll, list of names; see list, record 1. See syn. study at list.
strike from the rolls
roll
v.
To move by rotation, or in rotating numbers
rotate, come around, swing around, wheel, come in turn, circle, alternate, follow, succeed, be in sequence, follow in due course; see also sense 3; move 1, turn 1.To cause to roll
drive, push, impel, propel, throw, toss, twirl, trundle. To revolve
turn, turn over, pivot, wind, spin, spiral, reel, gyrate, gyre, whirl, twirl, swirl, swivel, eddy, pirouette; see also sense 1; rock.To make into a roll
twist, fold, curve, bend, arch, bow, furl, coil, spiral, curl, wind. Antonyms
spread*, stretch, flatten. To smooth with a roller
press, level, flatten, spread, roll out, pulverize, grind. To flow
undulate, run, wave, surge, glide, billow; see also flow 1.To produce a relatively deep, continuous sound
rumble, ruffle, drum, reverberate, cannonade, resound, echo, thunder, roar; see also roar, sound 1.To travel
To function
work, go, start production; see operate 2.
Object
- dice: A. The answer to 1 is not related to 2. Miss your turn to roll the dice.
- hill: The winding roads and rolling hills near the Tennessee border provided ample pleasures at 40 to 50 mph.
- d666: Arcangel rolls the d666 and gets 1 2 CHECK: 1. Tarot glances across, and attempts to evade them in the crowd.
- countryside: Golden Sands Holiday Park In attractive parkland with views over rolling countryside.
- stock: Policy measures would aim at a more efficient use of rolling stock - higher occupancy, higher rate of operating time.
- farmland: Walk on rugged hillsides, through forests, over grouse moors and rolling farmland to the coastal cliff tops.
Converse of object
- drum: Listen to the opening drum roll on the first Small Faces album.
Preposition: out
- pastry: Transfer the rolled out pastry to the top of the pie using the rolling pin in the same way described for the base pastry.
Adjective modifier
- electoral: April 13th is the final day to register for the electoral roll.
Modifies a noun
- cage: The design incorporates high strength steel tubing as found in roll cages and the like.
Noun used with modifier
- sausage: It was lovely, not a sausage roll in sight.
- bacon: On Saturday morning, cereal and bacon rolls will be on the menu.
- loo: Top tip re: empty loo roll stuffed with hay - my 2 bunnies have had great fun!
- toilet: He left the shop with no toilet roll, overwhelmed by the choice.
- n: The Subs were formed in 1976 and specialized in sub three minute versions of punchy rock n roll.
- 'n': You could argue that this is a move back to the heyday of rock 'n' roll where the single was the dominant force.
Possessives
- n: They really love rock ' n ' roll, they really respond.
Preposition: in
- aisle: The event was a celebration of lesser published, underground limericks which left the 70 strong audience rolling in the aisles.
Preposition: of
- dice: The movement of the checkers follows the outcome of a roll of two dice, the numbers on the two dice constituting separate moves.
Followed by an intransitive particle
- over: A daily bet can also be rolled over into the following day's daily bet with ease.
Must helpless man, in ignorance sedate, Roll darkling down the torrent of his fate?
'Courage!' he said, and pointed toward the land, 'This mounting wave will roll us shoreward soon.' In the afternoon they came unto a land In which it seeme' d always afternoon. All round the coast the languid air did swoon, Ulysses Breathing like one that hath a weary dream.
Browse dictionary entries near roll
- Rolfing
- role-playing
- role model
- role
- Roland
- rolamite
- ROK
- roister
- roily
- roil
- roll bar
- roll call
- roll down
- roll down and forward
- roll film
- roll forward
- roll in
- roll-on
- roll out
- roll over
