roll

—rollable, adj.

/rohl/, v.i.

1. to move along a surface by revolving or turning over and over, as a ball or a wheel.

2. to move or be moved on wheels, as a vehicle or its occupants.

3. to flow or advance in a stream or with an undulating motion, as water, waves, or smoke.

4. to extend in undulations, as land.

5. to elapse, pass, or move, as time (often fol. by on, away, or by).

6. to move as in a cycle (usually fol. by round or around): as soon as summer rolls round again.

7. to perform a periodical revolution in an orbit, as a heavenly body.

8. to emit or have a deep, prolonged sound, as thunder, drums, etc.

9. to trill, as a bird.

10. to revolve or turn over, once or repeatedly, as a wheel on an axis or a person or animal lying down.

11. to turn around in different directions or in a circle, as the eyes in their sockets.

12. (of a vessel)

a. to rock from side to side in open water. Cf. heave (def. 14b), pitch¹ (def. 20).

b. to sail with a side-to-side rocking motion.

13. to walk with a swinging or swaying gait.

14. Informal. to begin to move or operate; start; commence: Let's roll at sunrise.

15. Informal. to go forward or advance without restrictions or impediments: The economy is finally beginning to roll.

16. to curl up so as to form a tube or cylinder.

17. to admit of being formed into a tube or cylinder by curling up.

18. to be spread out after being curled up (usually fol. by out).

19. to spread out as under a roller: The paint rolls easily.

20. Aviation. (of an aircraft or rocket) to deviate from a stable flight attitude by rotation about its longitudinal axis.

v.t.

21. to cause to move along a surface by revolving or turning over and over, as a cask, a ball, or a hoop.

22. to move along on wheels or rollers; convey in a wheeled vehicle.

23. to drive, impel, or cause to flow onward with a sweeping or undulating motion: The wind rolled the waves high on the beach.

24. to utter or give forth with a full, flowing, continuous sound: rolling his orotund phrases.

25. to trill: to roll one's r's.

26. to cause to revolve or turn over or over and over: to roll oneself on one's face.

27. to cause to sway or rock from side to side, as a ship.

28. to wrap (something) around an axis, around upon itself, or into a cylindrical shape, ball, or the like: to roll string.

29. to make by forming a tube or cylinder: to roll a cigarette.

30. to spread out flat (something curled up) (often fol. by out): He rolled the map out on the table.

31. to wrap, enfold, or envelop, as in some covering: to roll a child in a blanket.

32. to spread out, level, smooth, compact, or the like, as with a rolling pin, roller, the hands, etc.: to roll dough; to roll a tennis court.

33. to form (metal) in a rolling mill.

34. to tumble (metal pieces and abrasives) in a box or barrel in such a way that their relative positions remain the same.

35. to beat (a drum) with rapid, continuous strokes.

36. (in certain games, as craps) to cast, or throw (dice).

37. Print. to apply (ink) with a roller or series of rollers.

38. Slang. to rob, esp. by going through the pockets of a victim who is either asleep or drunk.

39. roll back, to reduce (the price of a commodity, wages, etc.) to a former level, usually in response to government action.

40. roll in, Informal.

a. to luxuriate in; abound in: rolling in money.

b. to go to bed; retire: They would roll in later and later every night.

c. to mix and average the cost of (a higher-priced commodity or item) with that of a cheaper one so as to increase the retail price.

d. to add: Labor wants to roll in periodic increases with their wage demands.

e. to arrive, esp. in large numbers or quantity: When do my dividends start rolling in?

41. roll one's eyes, to turn one's eyes around in different directions or in a circle, esp. as an expression of disbelief, annoyance, or impatience: He rolled his eyes when he heard the stupid joke.

42. roll out,

a. to spread out or flatten: to roll out dough.

b. Informal. to arise from bed; get up: It was nearly impossible to roll out on the first day back after vacation.

c. Football. to execute a rollout.

d. Informal. to introduce; unveil: a TV advertising campaign to roll out the new car.

43. roll up,

a. to accumulate; collect: to roll up a large vote.

b. to increase.

c. to arrive in a conveyance: He rolled up to the front door in a chauffeur-driven limousine.

44. roll with the punches. See punch¹ (def. 4).

n.

45. a document of paper, parchment, or the like, that is or may be rolled up, as for storing; scroll.

46. a list, register, or catalog, esp. one containing the names of the persons belonging to a company, class, society, etc.

47. anything rolled up in a ringlike or cylindrical form: a roll of wire.

48. a number of papers or other items rolled up together.

49. a length of cloth, wallpaper, or the like, rolled up in cylindrical form (often forming a definite measure).

50. a cylindrical or rounded mass of something: rolls of fat.

51. some article of cylindrical or rounded form, as a molding.

52. a cylindrical piece upon which something is rolled along to facilitate moving.

53. a cylinder serving as a core upon which something is rolled up.

54. a roller with which something is spread out, leveled, crushed, smoothed, compacted, or the like.

55. Cookery.

a. thin cake spread with jelly or the like and rolled up.

b. a small cake of bread, originally and still often rolled or doubled on itself before baking.

c. meat rolled up and cooked.

56. the act or process or an instance of rolling.

57. undulation, as of a surface: the roll of a prairie.

58. a sonorous or rhythmical flow of words.

59. a deep, prolonged sound, as of thunder: the deep roll of a breaking wave.

60. the trill of certain birds, esp. of the roller canary.

61. the continuous sound of a drum rapidly beaten.

62. a rolling motion, as of a ship.

63. a rolling or swaying gait.

64. Aerospace.

a. a single, complete rotation of an airplane about the axis of the fuselage with little loss of altitude or change of direction.

b. (of an aircraft or rocket) the act of rolling.

c. the angular displacement caused by rolling.

65. Informal.

a. paper currency carried folded or rolled up: He took out an impressive roll and paid the check with a $100 bill.

b. bankroll; funds: People were encouraged to shoot their rolls on mining speculation.

66. (in various dice games)

a. a single cast of or turn at casting the dice.

b. the total number of pips or points made by a single cast; score or point.

67. on a roll,

a. (in a gambling game) having a continuing winning streak.

b. enjoying continuing good luck or success: She's been on a roll since taking that course on sales techniques.

68. roll in the hay, Slang. an instance of sexual intercourse.

69. strike off or from the rolls, to remove from membership or practice, as to disbar: He will surely be struck off the rolls if this conduct continues.

[1175-1225; (n.) (in senses referring to rolled or round objects) ME: scroll, inscribed scroll, register, cylindrical object < OF ro(u)lle < L rotulus, rotula small wheel, dim. of rota wheel (see ROTATE, -ULE); (in senses referring to motion) deriv. of the v.; (v.) ME rollen < OF rol(l)er < VL *rotulare, deriv. of L rotulus, rotula]

Syn. 1. revolve, rotate. 3. wave, undulate. 4. undulate. 12. swing, tilt. 46. See list¹. 53. spindle.

* * *