Pronunciation Verb

roll (rolls, present participle rolling; past and past participle rolled)

  1. (transitive) To cause to revolve by turning over and over; to move by turning on an axis; to impel forward by causing to turn over and over on a supporting surface.
    To roll a wheel, a ball, or a barrel.
  2. (intransitive) To turn over and over.
    The child will roll on the floor.
    • 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses Chapter 13
  3. (intransitive) To tumble in gymnastics; to do a somersault.
  4. (transitive) To wrap (something) round on itself; to form into a spherical or cylindrical body by causing to turn over and over.
    To roll a sheet of paper; to roll clay or putty into a ball.
  5. (transitive) To bind or involve by winding, as in a bandage; to enwrap; often with up.
    To roll up the map for shipping.
  6. (intransitive) To be wound or formed into a cylinder or ball.
    The cloth rolls unevenly; the snow rolls well.
  7. (ergative) To drive or impel forward with an easy motion, as of rolling.
    This river will roll its waters to the ocean.
  8. (ergative) To utter copiously, especially with sounding words; to utter with a deep sound; — often with forth, or out.
    To roll forth someone's praises; to roll out sentences.
  9. (transitive) To press or level with a roller; to spread or form with a roll, roller, or rollers.
    to roll a fieldto roll pasteto roll steel rails.
  10. (intransitive) To spread itself under a roller or rolling-pin.
    The pastry rolls well.
  11. (ergative) To move, or cause to be moved, upon, or by means of, rollers or small wheels.
  12. (chiefly, US, Canada, colloquial, intransitive) To leave or begin a journey.
    I want to get there early; let's roll.
  13. (chiefly, US, Canada, colloquial, intransitive) To compete, especially with vigor.
    OK guys, we're only down by two points. Let's roll!
  14. (transitive) To beat with rapid, continuous strokes, as a drum; to sound a roll upon.
  15. (geometry) To apply (one line or surface) to another without slipping; to bring all the parts of (one line or surface) into successive contact with another, in such a manner that at every instant the parts that have been in contact are equal.
  16. (transitive) To turn over in one's mind; to revolve.
  17. (US, slang, intransitive) To behave in a certain way; to adopt a general disposition toward a situation.
    I was going to kick his ass, but he wasn't worth getting all worked up over; I don't roll like that.
    • 2006, Chris McKenna, "Kids at party chant as police sergeant is beaten by angry teens", Times Herald-Record (Middletown, NY), Tuesday, November 21, .
      "This is how we roll in Spring Valley," one teen reportedly boasted.
  18. (dice, intransitive) To throw dice.
  19. (dice, transitive) To roll dice such that they form a given pattern or total.
    If you roll doubles, you get an extra turn.
    With two dice, you're more likely to roll seven than ten.
  20. (RPG) To create a new character in a role-playing game, especially by using dice to determine properties.
    I'm gonna go and roll a new shaman tonight.
  21. (intransitive, computing) To generate a random number.
  22. (intransitive, nautical, of a vessel) To rotate on its fore-and-aft axis, causing its sides to go up and down. Compare with pitch.
  23. (intransitive, in folk songs) To travel by sailing.
    • 19th c., Rolling Down to Old Maui (anon.)
      We're homeward bound from the Arctic ground / Rolling down to Old Maui
    • early 20th c., Randy Dandy-O (anon.)
      Now we are ready to head for the Horn / Way-hey, roll and go!
  24. (transitive) To beat up; to attack and cause physical damage to.
  25. (transitive, slang) To cause to betray secrets or to testify for the prosecution.
    The feds rolled him by giving him a free pass for most of what he'd done.
  26. (intransitive, slang) To betray secrets.
    He rolled on those guys after being in jail two days.
  27. (slang, intransitive) To be under the influence of MDMA (a psychedelic stimulant, also known as ecstasy).
    • 2000, Michael Sunstar, Underground Rave Dance,[ ] Writers Club Press, ISBN 9780595156115, page 15:
      Cindy replied, “Wow, that’s great. Did you try E at those parties?” Steel said, “Oh yeah. I was rolling hard at the Willy Wonka party.”
    • 2003, Karin Slaughter, A Faint Cold Fear (novel), HarperCollins, ISBN 978-0-688-17458-3, page 169 ↗:
      The crowd was rolling on Ecstasy, and the lights enhanced the experience. […] He would use it to keep his teeth from chattering while he was rolling.
    • ante 2007 unidentified Internet user quoted in Joseph A. Kotarba, “Music as a Feature of the Online Discussion of Illegal Drugs”, in Edward Murguía et al. (editors), Real Drugs in a Virtual World: Drug Discourse and Community Online, Lexington Books (2007), ISBN 978-0-7391-1455-1
      So the quesion is When you are rolling what gets you in that “ecstasy” state more: hard pounding energetic music or smoother and gentler music? Personally for me its gentler music because when I’m rolling my mind can’t really keep up with all the hard pounding intriquet sounds […]
  28. (ambitransitive, of a camera) To (cause to) film.
    The cameras are rolling.
    It's time to roll the cameras.
  29. (transitive, soccer) To slip past (a defender) with the ball.
  30. (intransitive) To have a rolling aspect.
    the hills rolled on
  31. (figurative, intransitive) To perform a periodical revolution; to move onward as with a revolution.
    The years roll on.
  32. (intransitive) To move, like waves or billows, with alternate swell and depression.
  33. (figurative, intransitive) to move and cause an effect on someone
    • 1718, Matthew Prior, Solomon On The Vanity Of The World
      Here tell me, if thou darest, my conscious soul,
      what different sorrows did within thee roll?
  34. (intransitive) To make a loud or heavy rumbling noise.
    The thunder rolled and the lightning flashed.
  35. (transitive) To utter with an alveolar trill.
    Many languages roll their r's.
  36. (transitive, US) To enrobe in toilet-paper (as a prank or spectacle).
    The kids rolled the principal's house and yard.
  37. (transitive) To create a customized version of.
    • 2000, Mark F. Komarinski and Cary Collett, Red Hat Linux System Administration Handbook, page 311,
      quote en
    • 2006, Keyboard, volume 32, page 188,
      quote en
    • 2010, Joseph Rattz and Adam Freeman, Pro LINQ: Language Integrated Query in C# 2010, page 208,
      quote en
    • 2015, Hyer Thomas, Derivatives Algorithms - Volume 1: Bones (Second Edition), page 135,
      quote en
  38. (transitive, martial arts) To engage in sparring in the context of jujitsu or other grappling disciplines.
  • French: faire rouler
  • German: rollen
  • Italian: far rotolare, far girare (wheels)
  • Portuguese: rolar, girar
  • Russian: кати́ть
  • Spanish: rodar, rodear
  • Russian: кататься
Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations
  • German: rollen
  • Portuguese: rolar
  • Russian: (transitive) кати́ть
  • Spanish: rodar
  • German: wirbeln
  • Italian: far rullare
  • Portuguese: rufar
  • Russian: рокотать
  • Spanish: redoblar
Translations Translations
  • French: faire rouler
  • Spanish: rodar
Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Noun

roll (plural rolls)

  1. The act or result of rolling, or state of being rolled.
    the roll of a ball
    Look at the roll of the waves.
    the roll of her eyes
  2. A forward or backward roll in gymnastics; going head over heels. A tumble.
  3. Something which rolls.
    1. A heavy cylinder used to break clods.
    2. One of a set of revolving cylinders, or rollers, between which metal is pressed, formed, or smoothed, as in a rolling mill.
      to pass rails through the rolls
  4. A swagger or rolling gait.
  5. A heavy, reverberatory sound.
    Hear the roll of cannon.
    There was a roll of thunder and the rain began to pour down.
  6. The uniform beating of a drum with strokes so rapid as scarcely to be distinguished by the ear.
  7. (nautical, aviation) The oscillating movement of a nautical vessel as it rotates from side to side, on its fore-and-aft axis, causing its sides to go up and down, as distinguished from the alternate rise and fall of bow and stern called pitching; or the equivalent in an aircraft.
  8. (nautical) The measure or extent to which a vessel rotates from side to side, on its fore-and-aft axis.
  9. The rotation angle about the longitudinal axis.
    Calculate the roll of that aircraft.
  10. The act of, or total resulting from, rolling one or more dice.
    Make your roll.
    Whoever gets the highest roll moves first.
  11. A winning streak of continuing luck, especially at gambling (and especially in the phrase on a roll).
    He is on a roll tonight.
  12. A training match for a fighting dog.
  13. (US, paddlesport) An instance of the act of righting a canoe or kayak which has capsized, without exiting the watercraft, or being assisted.
    That was a good roll.
  14. (paddlesport) The skill of righting a canoe or kayak which has capsized.
    She has a bombproof roll.
Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations
  • French: roulement
  • German: (sound) Wirbel, (activity) Wirbeln
  • Italian: rullo di tamburi
  • Portuguese: rufo
  • Russian: бараба́нный бой
  • Spanish: redoble, redoblamiento, redobladura
  • French: gîte (nautical)
  • Russian: крен

roll (plural rolls)

  1. That which is rolled up.
    a roll of fat, of wool, paper, cloth, etc.
  2. A document written on a piece of parchment, paper, or other materials which may be rolled up; a scroll.
      Busy angels spread / The lasting roll, recording what we say.
  3. An official or public document; a register; a record
    • 1713 Matthew Hale (jurist), The History of the Common Law of England (posthumously published)
      As to the rolls of parliament, viz. the entry of the several petitions, answers and transactions in parliament. Those are generally and successively extant of record in the Tower
  4. A catalogue or list
    • c. 1666, John Davies, Historical Relations: Or, a Discovery of the True Causes Why Ireland Was Never Entirely Subdued, Nor Brought Under Obedience of the Crown of England Until the Beginning of the Reign of King James I
      The roll and list of that army doth remain.
  5. A quantity of cloth wound into a cylindrical form.
    a roll of carpeting; a roll of ribbon
  6. A cylindrical twist of tobacco.
  7. A kind of shortened raised biscuit or bread, often rolled or doubled upon itself; see also bread roll.
  8. (obsolete) Part; office; duty; rôle.
    • 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “[The Fables of Abstemius, &c.] Fab[le] CCCXI. A Son Singing at his Brothers Funeral.”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: Printed for R[ichard] Sare, […], OCLC 228727523 ↗, page 273 ↗:
      THE Methods of Government and of Humane Society, muſt be Preſerv’d, where Every Man has his Roll, and his Station Aſſign’d him ; and it is not for One Man to break in upon the Province of Another.
  9. A measure of parchments, containing five dozen.
      Parchement is sold by the dozen, and by the roll of five dozens.
    That was a good roll.
Translations Translations Translations Translations
  • French: rôle
  • German: Rolle, Namensrolle
  • Portuguese: chamada
  • Russian: ве́домость
Translations Translations Translations Translations
Proper noun
  1. A male given name.
  2. Surname

Offline English dictionary