roller

1 of 2

noun (1)

roll·​er ˈrō-lər 

1

a

: a revolving cylinder over or on which something is moved or which is used to press, shape, spread, or smooth something

b

: a cylinder or rod on which something (such as a shade) is rolled up

2

a

: a long heavy ocean wave

b

: tumbler sense 1b

3

: one that rolls or performs a rolling operation

4

: a slowly rolling ground ball

roller

2 of 2

noun (2)

rol·​ler ˈrō-lər 

1

: any of various mostly brightly colored nonpasserine Old World birds (family Coraciidae) that perform rolling aerial dives during courtship displays

2

: a canary having a song in which the notes are soft and run together

Examples of roller in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Two new guests appear in the dead of night, Reverend Marlowe (Jeremy Webb), an unholy roller with a feral mien, and Joe Scott (a dazzling Matt Manuel), a boxer in apparent fugitive flight who takes an interest in Marianne despite her difficult situation. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2024

Swap out your older roller duffel for the Eagle Creek Tarmac XE 2-Wheel 40L Carry-on Wheeled Luggage, which is on sale for $250 for a limited time. —Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 17 May 2024

In March, the Long Island Roller Rebels, an adult roller derby league, sued the county over the order, saying the ban violated state civil rights law. —Hurubie Meko, New York Times, 11 May 2024

First, the road builders use rollers to pack the subgrade down. —Mansour Solaimanian, The Conversation, 10 May 2024

Video then shows an object thrown at the officers that appears to be the paint roller. —Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2024

Folkets Park will transform into Eurovision Village, where fans can attend sing-a-longs, dance lessons, circus performances, and a roller disco. —Lina Abascal, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2024

This time, Cherelle organized only the big roller bags, leaving Griner responsible for her carry-ons. —J Wortham January Lavoy Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 2 May 2024

Woodlands, which is smaller and surrounds a host of trees, has smaller rollers and is designed for slower speeds. —Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

German, from rollen to roll, reverberate, from Middle French roller — more at roll

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1678, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing roller

• high roller
• leaf roller
• road roller
• rock and roller
• roller bearing
• roller coaster
• roller rink
• roller skate
• roller towel
• stone roller

Kids Definition

roller

noun

roll·​er

ˈrō-lər

1

a

: a turning cylinder over or on which something is moved or which is used to press, shape, spread, or smooth something

b

: a rod on which something (as a map or a shade) is rolled up

c

: a small wheel (as of a roller skate)

2

: a long heavy wave on the sea

3

: one that rolls or rolls over

Medical Definition

roller

see tongue roller