Roll

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ɹəʊl/
• US enPR: rōl, IPA: /ɹoÊŠl/
• Homophones: role

Origin

• The verb is from Middle English rollen, from Old French roler, from Medieval Latin rotulare ("to roll", "revolve"), from Latin rotula ("a little wheel"), diminutive of rota ("a wheel").
• The noun is from Middle English rolle, from Old French rolle, from Medieval Latin rotulus ("a roll, list, catalogue, schedule, record, a paper or parchment rolled up").

Full definition of roll

Verb

1. (ergative) 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.
• ShakespeareAnd her foot, look you, is fixed upon a spherical stone, which rolls, and rolls, and rolls.
• 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses (novel) Chapter 13The gentleman aimed the ball once or twice and then threw it up the strand towards Cissy Caffrey but it rolled down the slope and stopped right under Gerty's skirt near the little pool by the rock.
2. (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.
3. (transitive) To bind or involve by winding, as in a bandage; to enwrap; often with up.
   To roll up the map for shipping.
4. (intransitive) To be wound or formed into a cylinder or ball.The cloth rolls unevenly; the snow rolls well.
5. (ergative) To drive or impel forward with an easy motion, as of rolling.
   This river will roll its waters to the ocean.
6. (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.
7. To press or level with a roller; to spread or form with a roll, roller, or rollers.
   to roll a field;  to roll paste;  to roll steel rails.
8. (intransitive) To spread itself under a roller or rolling-pin.The pastry rolls well.
9. (ergative) To move, or cause to be moved, upon, or by means of, rollers or small wheels.
• 1898, Winston Churchill, The Celebrity Chapter 5, We expressed our readiness, and in ten minutes were in the station wagon, rolling rapidly down the long drive, for it was then after nine. We passed on the way the van of the guests from Asquith.
• 2013-06-01, Ideas coming down the track, A “moving platform” scheme...is more technologically ambitious than maglev trains even though it relies on conventional rails. Local trains would use side-by-side rails to roll alongside intercity trains and allow passengers to switch trains by stepping through docking bays.
10. (chiefly US, Canada, colloquial) To leave or begin a journey.
    I want to get there early; let's roll.
11. (chiefly US, Canada, colloquial) To compete, especially with vigor.
    OK guys, we're only down by two points. Let's roll!
12. To beat with rapid, continuous strokes, as a drum; to sound a roll upon.
13. (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.
14. To turn over in one's mind; to revolve.
15. (US, slang) 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, http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061121/NEWS/611210321."This is how we roll in Spring Valley," one teen reportedly boasted.
16. (gaming, transitive, intransitive) To throw dice.
17. (gaming, 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.
18. To have a rolling aspect.
    the hills rolled on
19. (gaming) To create a new character in a role-playing game.
    I'm gonna go and roll a new shaman tonight.
20. (computing) To generate a random number.
21. To turn over and over.
    The child will roll on the floor.
22. To tumble in gymnastics.
23. (nautical, of a vessel) To rotate on its fore-and-aft axis, causing its sides to go up and down. Compare with pitch.
24. (transitive) To beat up.
• 2006, Elizabeth Gaffney, Metropolis‎, They rolled him for his money, and that would have been that, but the guy tried to fight back.
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. (informal) To act.
• 2001 September 11, Todd Beamer:Let's roll!
28. (slang) 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.
• a. 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 978-0-7391-1455-1So 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 ...
29. (intransitive, of a camera) To film.
    The cameras are rolling.
30. (transitive)
• 2012, April 15, Phil McNulty, Tottenham 1-5 Chelsea, So it was against the run of play that their London rivals took the lead two minutes before the interval through Drogba. He rolled William Gallas inside the area before flashing a stunning finish high past keeper Carlo Cudicini.
31. To perform a periodical revolution; to move onward as with a revolution.The years roll on.
32. To move, like waves or billows, with alternate swell and depression.
• Priorwhat different sorrows did within thee roll
33. To make a loud or heavy rumbling noise.The thunder rolled and the lightning flashed.
• 2014, Jacob Steinberg, "Wigan shock Manchester City in FA Cup again to reach semi-finals", The Guardian, 9 March 2014:Rolled far too easily by Marc-Antoine Fortuné, Demichelis compounded his error by standing on the striker's foot. In the absence of the injured Watson, Gómez converted the penalty.

Derived terms

Noun

1. The act of rolling, or state of being rolled.the roll of a ballLook at the roll of the waves.
2. That which rolls; a roller.
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
3. That which is rolled up.a roll of fat, of wool, paper, cloth, etc.
4. A document written on a piece of parchment, paper, or other materials which may be rolled up; a scroll.
• PriorBusy angels spread
  The lasting roll, recording what we say.
5. Hence, an official or public document; a register; a record; also, a catalogue; a list.
• Sir M. HaleThe rolls of Parliament, the entry of the petitions, answers, and transactions in Parliament, are extant.
• Sir J. DaviesThe roll and list of that army doth remain.
6. A quantity of cloth wound into a cylindrical form.a roll of carpeting; a roll of ribbon
7. A cylindrical twist of tobacco.
8. A kind of shortened raised biscuit or bread, often rolled or doubled upon itself.
9. (nautical) 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. The measure or extent to which a vessel does this.
10. A heavy, reverberatory sound.Hear the roll of cannon.Hear the roll of thunder.
11. The uniform beating of a drum with strokes so rapid as scarcely to be distinguished by the ear.
12. (obsolete) Part; office; duty; rôle.
13. A measure of parchments, containing five dozen.
• 1882, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, Volume 4, p. 594:Parchement is sold by the dozen, and by the roll of five dozens.
14. the rotation angle about the longitudinal axisCalculate the roll of that aircraft.
15. The act of, or total resulting from, rolling one or more dice.Make your roll.Whoever gets the highest roll moves first.
16. A winning streak of continuing luck, especially at gambling and especially in the phrase on a roll.He is on a roll tonight.
17. A training match for a fighting dog.

Derived terms