roll out

/roʊl aʊt/

/rəʊl aʊt/

Other forms: rolling out; rolled out; rolls out; roll outs

When a company rolls out a product or service, it introduces something brand new. If you're an avid photographer, you'll be excited when a tech company rolls out an updated version of your phone with an improved camera.

If your favorite coffee shop rolls out a new frothy frozen drink, there may be splashy social media posts announcing it. Anything that's being introduced is rolled out, from an art exhibition to a government's tax cuts to brand new crosswalks in your city. This "launching a new service or product" meaning of roll out goes back to the early days of aerospace engineering, when brand new airplanes were introduced by literally being rolled out onto runways.

Definitions of roll out

1. verb

   unfold something that is wrapped up and spread it flat
   “roll out the big map”

   synonyms: straighten

   type of:

   disentangle, unwind

   separate the tangles of
2. verb

   flatten or spread with a heavy device shaped like a cylinder
   synonyms: roll

   types:

   cog

   roll steel ingots

   mill

   roll out (metal) with a rolling machine

   type of:

   flatten

   make flat or flatter
3. verb

   introduce a new product or service to the public