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- Dictionaryroll/rəʊl/
verb
- 1. move in a particular direction by turning over and over on an axis: "the car rolled down into a ditch" Similar turn round and roundgo round and roundturn over and overspinrotatebowl
- ▪ turn over to face a different direction: "she rolled on to her side"
- ▪ turn (one's eyes) upwards, typically to show surprise or disapproval: "Sarah rolled her eyes to the ceiling"
- ▪ lie down and turn over and over while remaining in the same place: "the buffalo rolled in the dust"
- ▪ (of a moving ship, aircraft, or vehicle) rock or oscillate round an axis parallel to the direction of motion: "the ship pitched and rolled" Similar lurchtossrockpitchplungeswayreellistkeelwallowlabourmake heavy weather
- ▪ move along or from side to side unsteadily or uncontrollably: "they were rolling about with laughter" Similar staggerlurchreelswaypitchtotterteeterwobble
- ▪ overturn (a vehicle): informal North American "he rolled his Mercedes in a 100 mph crash"
- ▪ throw (a die or dice): "he put all his chips on the table and rolled the dice"
- ▪ obtain (a particular score) by throwing a die or dice: "roll a 2, 3, or 12"
- 2. (of a vehicle) move or run on wheels: "the van was rolling along the lane" Similar travelgomovepasscruisebe carriedbe conveyedsweep
- ▪ move or push (a wheeled object): "Pat rolled the trolley to and fro" Similar wheelpushtrundle
- ▪ (of a drop of liquid) flow: "huge tears rolled down her cheeks" Similar flowruncoursestreampourspilltrickle
- ▪ (of time) elapse steadily: "the years rolled by" Similar passgo by/pastslip by/pastslide by/pastsail by/pastglide by/pastfly by/pastelapsewear onsteal by/pastmarch on
- ▪ (of waves, smoke, cloud, or fog) move or flow forward with an undulating motion: "the fog rolled across the fields" Similar billowundulaterise and falltosstumbleliterary:welter
- ▪ (of land) extend in gentle undulations.
- ▪ (of credits for a film or television programme) be displayed as if moving on a roller up the screen: "the end credits rolled and the title came up"
- ▪ (with reference to a machine, device, or system) operate or begin operating: "the cameras started to roll"
- ▪ start moving; take action: informal "the coast's clear—let's roll"
- ▪ behave in a particular way: informal "that's just how I roll, guys—I'll smile until I physically can't"
- 3. turn (something flexible) over and over on itself to form a cylinder, tube, or ball: "he rolled the handkerchief into a ball" Similar windcoilfurlfoldcurltwist
- ▪ make (something) by forming material into a cylinder or ball: "Harry rolled himself a joint" Similar windcoilfurlfoldcurltwist
- ▪ (of a person or animal) curl up tightly: "the shock made the hedgehog roll into a ball" Similar windcoilfurlfoldcurltwist
- 4. flatten (something) by passing a roller over it or by passing it between rollers: "roll out the dough on a floured surface" Similar flattenlevelsmootheven out
- 5. (of a loud, deep sound) reverberate: "the first peals of thunder rolled across the sky" Similar rumblereverberateechore-echoresoundboompealroargrumble
- ▪ pronounce (a consonant, typically an r) with a trill: "when he wanted to emphasize a point he rolled his rrrs"
- ▪ utter (a word or words) with a reverberating or vibratory effect: "he rolled the word round his mouth"
- ▪ (of words) flow effortlessly or mellifluously: "the names of his colleagues rolled off his lips"
- 6. rob (someone, typically when they are intoxicated or asleep): informal "if you don't get drunk, you don't get rolled"
noun
- 1. a cylinder formed by winding flexible material round a tube or by turning it over and over on itself without folding: "a roll of carpet" Similar cylindertubescrollboltreelspool
- ▪ a cylindrical mass of something or a number of items arranged in a cylindrical shape: "a roll of mints" Similar cylindertubescrollbolt
- ▪ an item of food that is made by wrapping a flat sheet of pastry, cake, meat, or fish round a sweet or savoury filling: "salmon and rice rolls"
- ▪ a quantity of banknotes rolled together: North American, Australian "I should eat out, enjoy the fat roll I'd taken out of my account" Similar wadbundle
- 2. a movement in which someone or something turns or is turned over on itself: "a roll of the dice" Similar throwtossturnrotationrevolutionspin
- ▪ a gymnastic exercise in which a person tucks their head down and rolls their body in a forward or backwards circle on the floor: "I used my momentum and tucked into a roll"
- ▪ a complete rotation by a flying aircraft about its longitudinal axis.
- ▪ a swaying or oscillation of a ship, aircraft, or vehicle round an axis parallel to the direction of motion: "the car corners capably with a minimum of roll" Similar rockingtossinglurchingpitchingplungingswaying
- 3. a prolonged, deep, reverberating sound: "thunder exploded, roll after roll" Similar rumblereverberationechoboomthunderthunderclapclapcrackroargrumbletattoorataplan
- ▪ one of the basic patterns (rudiments) of drumming, consisting of a sustained, rapid alternation of single or double strokes of each stick.
- 4. a very small loaf of bread, to be eaten by one person: "soup with a roll"
- 5. an official list or register of names: "the school had no one by his name on its roll" Similar listregisterlistingdirectoryrecordfileindexcatalogueinventorycensus
- ▪ the total number of names on a roll: "a review of secondary schools to assess the effects of falling rolls"
- ▪ a document, typically an official record, historically kept in scroll form.
- 6. undulation of the landscape: "hidden by the roll of the land was a refinery"
- 7. a roller for flattening something, especially one used to shape metal in a rolling mill.
Word Origin Middle English: from Old French rolle (noun), roller (verb), from Latin rotulus ‘a roll’, variant of rotula ‘little wheel’, diminutive of rota.
Derivatives
- 1. rollable adjective
Scrabble Points: 4
R
1O
1L
1L
1
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