roll

/roʊl/

/rəʊl/

Other forms: rolled; rolls

When something moves by rotating or spinning, it rolls. If your dog is smart enough, you can train her to roll a ball back to you after you roll it to her.

You can roll down a hill, or roll up a rug. You can also roll out dough for a pie — by flattening it with a rolling pin — or roll up a car window, which once required turning a handle, but today usually involves pushing a button. You can roll dice, or toss them on a table, and tears can roll, or drip, down your cheeks. As a noun, a roll can be an individual loaf of bread, a list of names, or a cylinder.

Definitions of roll

1. verb

   move by turning over or rotating
   “The child rolled down the hill”

   synonyms: turn over

   revolve, trundle

   cause to move by turning over or in a circular manner of as if on an axis

   types:

   rim

   roll around the rim of

   type of:

   turn

   change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
2. verb

   move along on or as if on wheels or a wheeled vehicle
   “The President's convoy rolled past the crowds”

   synonyms: trundle, wheel

   types:

   bowl

   roll (a ball)

   troll

   cause to move round and round

   type of:

   go, locomote, move, travel

   change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
3. verb

   cause to move by turning over or in a circular manner of as if on an axis
   “She rolled the ball”

   “They rolled their eyes at his words”

   synonyms: revolve, trundle

   turn over

   move by turning over or rotating

   types:

   transit

   revolve (the telescope of a surveying transit) about its horizontal transverse axis in order to reverse its direction

   type of:

   displace, move

   cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense
4. verb

   arrange or coil around
   “roll your hair around your finger”

   synonyms: twine, wind, wrap

   types:

   spool

   wind onto a spool or a reel

   reel

   wind onto or off a reel

   ball

   form into a ball by winding or rolling

   clew, clue

   roll into a ball

   coil, curl, loop

   wind around something in coils or loops

   cheese

   wind onto a cheese

   reel off, unreel

   unwind from or as if from a reel

   type of:

   displace, move

   cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense
5. verb

   shape by rolling
   type of:

   form, shape

   give shape or form to
6. verb

   take the shape of a roll or cylinder
   “the carpet rolled out”

   “Yarn rolls well”

   type of:

   change form, change shape, deform

   assume a different shape or form
7. verb

   show certain properties when being rolled
   “The carpet rolls unevenly”

   synonyms: roll up

   roll up, wrap up

   form a cylinder by rolling

   furl, roll up

   form into a cylinder by rolling

   type of:

   change

   undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature
8. verb

   flatten or spread with a heavy device shaped like a cylinder
   “roll out the paper”

   synonyms: roll out

   types:

   cog

   roll steel ingots

   mill

   roll out (metal) with a rolling machine

   type of:

   flatten

   make flat or flatter
9. verb

   move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion
   “the waves rolled towards the beach”

   synonyms: flap, undulate, wave

   types:

   luff

   flap when the wind is blowing equally on both sides

   type of:

   move

   move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion
10. verb

    occur in soft rounded shapes
    “The hills rolled past”

    synonyms: undulate
11. verb

    begin operating or running
    “The cameras were rolling”

    “The presses are already rolling”

    type of:

    function, go, operate, run, work

    perform as expected when applied
12. verb

    execute a roll, in tumbling
    “The gymnasts rolled and jumped”

    type of:

    tumble

    do gymnastics, roll and turn skillfully
13. verb

    move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
    “They rolled from town to town”

    synonyms: cast, drift, ramble, range, roam, rove, stray, swan, tramp, vagabond, wander

    drift, err, stray

    wander from a direct course or at random

    wander

    go via an indirect route or at no set pace

    types:

    maunder

    wander aimlessly

    gad, gallivant, jazz around

    wander aimlessly in search of pleasure

    type of:

    go, locomote, move, travel

    change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
14. verb

    move, rock, or sway from side to side
    “The ship rolled on the heavy seas”

    type of:

    rock, shake, sway

    move back and forth or sideways
15. verb

    boil vigorously
    “The water rolled”

    synonyms: seethe

    type of:

    boil, churn, moil, roil

    be agitated
16. verb

    sell something to or obtain something from by energetic and especially underhanded activity
    synonyms: hustle, pluck

    type of:

    steal

    take without the owner's consent
17. noun

    rotary motion of an object around its own axis
    synonyms: axial motion, axial rotation

    types:

    wallow

    an indolent or clumsy rolling about

    type of:

    gyration, revolution, rotation

    a single complete turn (axial or orbital)
18. noun

    anything rolled up in cylindrical form
    types:

    bolt

    a roll of cloth or wallpaper of a definite length

    rouleau

    a roll of coins wrapped in paper

    rouleau

    a roll of ribbon

    type of:

    cylinder

    a solid bounded by a cylindrical surface and two parallel planes (the bases)
19. noun

    photographic film rolled up inside a container to protect it from light
    type of:

    film, photographic film

    photographic material consisting of a base of celluloid covered with a photographic emulsion; used to make negatives or transparencies
20. noun

    a document that can be rolled up (as for storage)
    synonyms: scroll

    examples:

    Dead Sea scrolls

    (Old Testament) a collection of written scrolls (containing nearly all of the Old Testament) found in a cave near the Dead Sea in the late 1940s

    types:

    Megillah

    (Judaism) the scroll of parchment that contains the biblical story of Esther; traditionally read in synagogues to celebrate Purim

    Torah

    (Judaism) the scroll of parchment on which the first five books of the Hebrew Scripture is written; is used in a synagogue during services

    type of:

    holograph, manuscript

    handwritten book or document
21. noun

    a roll of currency notes (often taken as the resources of a person or business etc.)
    “he shot his roll on a bob-tailed nag”

    synonyms: bankroll

    type of:

    cash in hand, finances, funds, monetary resource, pecuniary resource

    assets in the form of money
22. noun

    a list of names
    “his name was struck off the rolls”

    synonyms: roster

    types:

    batting order, card, lineup

    (baseball) a list of batters in the order in which they will bat

    death-roll

    a list of persons killed in a war or other disaster

    muster roll

    a list of names of officers and men in a military unit or ship's company

    church roll

    a list of the members of church

    rota

    a roster of names showing the order in which people should perform certain duties

    waiting list

    a roster of those waiting to obtain something

    type of:

    list, listing

    a database containing an ordered array of items (names or topics)
23. noun

    a long heavy sea wave as it advances towards the shore
    synonyms: roller, rolling wave

    type of:

    moving ridge, wave

    one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
24. noun

    a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles (as formed by leaves or flower petals)
    synonyms: coil, curl, curlicue, gyre, ringlet, scroll, whorl

    types:

    corolla

    (botany) the whorl of petals of a flower that collectively form an inner floral envelope or layer of the perianth

    calyx

    (botany) the whorl of sepals of a flower collectively forming the outer floral envelope or layer of the perianth enclosing and supporting the developing bud; usually green

    verticil

    a whorl of leaves growing around a stem

    hull

    persistent enlarged calyx at base of e.g. a strawberry or raspberry

    pappus

    calyx composed of scales or bristles or featherlike hairs in plants of the Compositae such as thistles and dandelions

    type of:

    round shape

    a shape that is curved and without sharp angles
25. noun

    walking with a swaying gait
    type of:

    gait

    a person's manner of walking
26. noun

    a flight maneuver; aircraft rotates about its longitudinal axis without changing direction or losing altitude
    types:

    barrel roll

    a roll in which the plane follows a spiral course

    snap roll

    a fast roll

    type of:

    airplane maneuver, flight maneuver

    a maneuver executed by an aircraft
27. noun

    the act of rolling something (as the ball in bowling)
    synonyms: bowl

    type of:

    actuation, propulsion

    the act of propelling
28. noun

    the act of throwing dice
    synonyms: cast

    types:

    natural

    (craps) a first roll of 7 or 11 that immediately wins the stake

    type of:

    throw

    casting an object in order to determine an outcome randomly
29. noun

    small rounded bread either plain or sweet
    synonyms: bun

    types:

    tea bread

    sweetened buns to be eaten with tea

    frankfurter bun, hotdog bun

    a long bun shaped to hold a frankfurter

    hamburger bun, hamburger roll

    a round bun shaped to hold a hamburger patty

    brioche

    a light roll rich with eggs and butter and somewhat sweet

    crescent roll, croissant

    very rich flaky crescent-shaped roll

    Vienna roll, hard roll

    yeast-raised roll with a hard crust

    soft roll

    yeast-raised roll with a soft crust

    kaiser, kaiser roll

    rounded raised poppy-seed roll made of a square piece of dough by folding the corners in to the center

    Parker House roll

    yeast-raised dinner roll made by folding a disk of dough before baking

    clover-leaf roll

    yeast-raised dinner roll made by baking three small balls of dough in each cup of a muffin pan

    onion roll

    yeast-raised roll flavored with onion

    coffee roll, sweet roll

    any of numerous yeast-raised sweet rolls with our without raisins or nuts or spices or a glaze

    bagel, beigel

    (Yiddish) glazed yeast-raised doughnut-shaped roll with hard crust

    cross bun, hot cross bun

    moderately sweet raised roll containing spices and raisins and citron and decorated with a cross-shaped sugar glaze

    bialy, bialystoker

    flat crusty-bottomed onion roll

    bear claw, bear paw

    almond-flavored yeast-raised pastry shaped in an irregular semicircle resembling a bear's claw

    cinnamon bun, cinnamon roll, cinnamon snail

    rolled dough spread with cinnamon and sugar (and raisins) then sliced before baking

    caramel bun, honey bun, schnecken, sticky bun

    rolled dough spread with sugar and nuts then sliced and baked in muffin tins with honey or sugar and butter in the bottom

    pinwheel roll

    pinwheel-shaped rolls spread with cinnamon and sugar and filled with e.g. jam before baking

    danish, danish pastry

    light sweet yeast-raised roll usually filled with fruits or cheese

    onion bagel

    bagel flavored with onion

    type of:

    bread, breadstuff, staff of life

    food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
30. verb

    emit, produce, or utter with a deep prolonged reverberating sound
    “The thunder rolled”

    “rolling drums”

    type of:

    go, sound

    make a certain noise or sound
31. verb

    pronounce with a roll, of the phoneme /r/
    “She rolls her r's”

    type of:

    articulate, enounce, enunciate, pronounce, say, sound out

    speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way
32. noun

    a deep prolonged sound (as of thunder or large bells)
    synonyms: peal, pealing, rolling

    type of:

    sound

    the sudden occurrence of an audible event
33. noun

    the sound of a drum (especially a snare drum) beaten rapidly and continuously
    synonyms: drum roll, paradiddle

    type of:

    sound

    the sudden occurrence of an audible event