roll

³roll

noun

Definition of ROLL

1

a : a sound produced by rapid strokes on a drum b : a sonorous and often rhythmical flow of speech c : a heavy reverberatory sound <the roll of cannon>

2

: a rolling movement or an action or process involving such movement <a roll of the dice> <an airplane's takeoff roll>: as a : a swaying movement of the body b : a side-to-side movement (as of a ship or train) c (1) : a flight maneuver in which a complete revolution about the longitudinal axis of an airplane is made with the horizontal direction of flight being approximately maintained (2) : the motion of an aircraft or spacecraft about its longitudinal axis d : a somersault executed in contact with the ground

— on a roll

: in the midst of a series of successes : on a hot streak —sometimes used with a modifier <has been on a brilliant roll>

First Known Use of ROLL

1688