rolling

1 of 2

present participle of roll

rolling

2 of 2

adjective

roll·​ing ˈrō-liŋ 

: not having or set to a fixed date or deadline : continually adjustable through a period of time to provide flexibility for individual circumstances

… the city is encouraging families to sign up their kids by June 26, although there is a rolling deadline until Oct. 1. The sooner families apply … the better chance they'll secure the seat they want.

—Matthew Chayes

Many law schools use a rolling admissions process, meaning they evaluate applications as they come in and release admissions decisions, one by one.

—Ilana Kowarski

The Delaware Aglands Foundation Board announced it will institute a rolling application process for its Young Farmer Loan Program to offer young farmers more flexibility in acquiring a farm.

—The Dover Post

Examples of rolling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Hulken, the cult-favorite brand known for its rolling tote bags, is here to make back-to-school season a little easier with its first ever exclusive colorways for Target. — Casey Delbasso, ABC News, 23 July 2026

These have now grown into the larger, rolling demonstrations that kicked off Monday, as India’s Parliament opened its monsoon session. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 23 July 2026

The sovereign wealth fund uses a rolling 20-year metric as its primary performance indicator, which measures average annual returns over the most recent two decades. — Sean Conlon,joseph Wilkins,justina Lee,lee Ying Shan,fred Imbert, CNBC, 23 July 2026

Deputies followed behind and reported no serious injuries related to the rolling sedan. — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 22 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1959, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rolling

• eye rolling
• get rolling
• get/set/start the ball rolling
• keep the ball rolling
• rolling boil
• rolling hitch
• rolling in (something)
• rolling in (the) dough
• rolling mill
• rolling pin
• rolling stock

Rhymes for rolling

• bowling
• coaling
• doling
• growling
• holing
• poling
• polling
• scrolling
• shoaling
• strolling
• tolling
• trolling

Kids Definition

rolling

adjective

roll·​ing

: not having or set to a fixed date or deadline

rolling admissions