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roll

/ɹəʊl/

noun

Meaning

  • The act or result of rolling, or state of being rolled.

    "Look at the roll of the waves."

  • A forward or backward roll in gymnastics; going head over heels. A tumble.

  • Something which rolls.

  • A swagger or rolling gait.

  • A heavy, reverberatory sound.

    "Hear the roll of cannon."

  • The uniform beating of a drum with strokes so rapid as scarcely to be distinguished by the ear.

  • 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.

  • The measure or extent to which a vessel rotates from side to side, on its fore-and-aft axis.

  • The rotation angle about the longitudinal axis.

    "Calculate the roll of that aircraft."

  • The act of, or total resulting from, rolling one or more dice.

    "Make your roll."

  • A winning streak of continuing luck, especially at gambling (and especially in the phrase on a roll).

    "He is on a roll tonight."

  • A training match for a fighting dog.

  • (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."

  • (paddlesport) The skill of righting a canoe or kayak which has capsized.

    "She has a bombproof roll."

verb

Meaning

  • 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."

  • To turn over and over.

    "The child will roll on the floor."

  • To tumble in gymnastics; to do a somersault.

  • 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."

  • To bind or involve by winding, as in a bandage; to enwrap; often with up.

    "To roll up the map for shipping."

  • To be wound or formed into a cylinder or ball.

    "The cloth rolls unevenly; the snow rolls well."

  • To drive or impel forward with an easy motion, as of rolling.

    "This river will roll its waters to the ocean."

  • 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."

  • 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."

  • To spread itself under a roller or rolling-pin.

    "The pastry rolls well."

  • To move, or cause to be moved, upon, or by means of, rollers or small wheels.

  • To leave or begin a journey.

    "I want to get there early; let's roll."

  • To compete, especially with vigor.

    "OK guys, we're only down by two points. Let's roll!"

  • To beat with rapid, continuous strokes, as a drum; to sound a roll upon.

  • 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.

  • To turn over in one's mind; to revolve.

  • 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."

  • To throw dice.

  • To roll dice such that they form a given pattern or total.

    "If you roll doubles, you get an extra turn."

  • 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."

  • To generate a random number.

  • (of a vessel) To rotate on its fore-and-aft axis, causing its sides to go up and down. Compare with pitch.

  • (in folk songs) To travel by sailing.

  • To beat up; to attack and cause physical damage to.

  • 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."

  • To betray secrets.

    "He rolled on those guys after being in jail two days."

  • To be under the influence of MDMA (a psychedelic stimulant, also known as ecstasy).

  • (of a camera) To (cause to) film.

    "It's time to roll the cameras."

  • To slip past (a defender) with the ball.

  • To have a rolling aspect.

    "the hills rolled on"

  • To perform a periodical revolution; to move onward as with a revolution.

    "The years roll on."

  • To move, like waves or billows, with alternate swell and depression.

  • To move and cause an effect on someone

  • To make a loud or heavy rumbling noise.

    "The thunder rolled and the lightning flashed."

  • To utter with an alveolar trill.

    "Many languages roll their r's."

  • To enrobe in toilet-paper (as a prank or spectacle).

    "The kids rolled the principal's house and yard."

  • To create a customized version of.

  • To engage in sparring in the context of jujitsu or other grappling disciplines.