roll
verb · noun
Simple meaning
Move by turning over or rotating.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
rohlIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹoʊl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
ergative
Move by turning over or rotating
“The child rolled down the hill.”
ergative
To revolve by turning over and over; to move by turning on a horizontal axis; to impel forward with a revolving motion on a supporting surface.
ergative
To wrap (something) round on itself; to form into a spherical or cylindrical body by causing to turn over and over.
transitive
To bind or involve by winding, as with a bandage; to enwrap; often with up.
intransitive
To tumble in gymnastics; to do a somersault.
transitive
To beat with rapid, continuous strokes, as a drum; to sound a roll upon.
noun
The act or result of rolling, or state of being rolled.
A forward or backward roll in gymnastics; going head over heels. A tumble.
One of a set of revolving cylinders, or rollers, between which metal is pressed, formed, or smoothed, as in a rolling mill.
A swagger or rolling gait.
A heavy cylinder used to break clods.
A heavy, reverberatory sound.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Move by turning over or rotating
Used this way, roll is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The child rolled down the hill.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- undulate , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use roll
- “The child rolled down the hill.”verb
- “The President's convoy rolled past the crowds.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
A deep prolonged sound (as of thunder or large bells).
A grounder that rolls along the infield.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Recite volubly or extravagantly.
A dispenser of a liquid cosmetic (such as a deodorant) having a revolving ball as an applicator.
A method of transport (as a ferry or train or plane) that vehicles roll onto at the beginning and roll off of at the destination.
Flatten or spread with a roller.
Make a rolling motion or turn.
Form into a cylinder by rolling.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Antonyms
Sense: move by turning over or rotating
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.