roster

noun

ros·​ter ˈrä-stər 

also ˈrȯ-

or ˈrō-

1

a

: a roll or list of personnel

b

: such a list giving the order in which a duty is to be performed

a duty roster

c

: the persons listed on a roster

2

: an itemized list

Synonyms of roster

• list
• listing

Examples of roster in a Sentence

His name has been added to the team roster.

The team has a roster of 40 players.

Recent Examples on the Web

Columns & Newsletters Ongoing commentary from our roster of columnists who interpret the ideas shaping the moment. —Daphne Koller, Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026

Miami Heat Miami is about $30 million below the luxury-tax threshold, but that does not include anything for unrestricted free agent Norman Powell, who could generate enough interest to get a salary in that range himself before even filling out the roster. —Danny Leroux, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026

Those shows join a roster of 23 gigs lined up for this spring/summer across Europe, a mix of festival stops and headlining concerts. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Jan. 2026

Of course, this roster hasn’t exactly shown it’s equipped to make a meaningful playoff run (whether Kristaps Porzingis eventually comes back healthy or not). —Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 28 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Dutch rooster, literally, gridiron; from the parallel lines

First Known Use

1727, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for roster

• coster
• zoster
• exhauster
• imposter
• impostor

Kids Definition

roster

noun

ros·​ter ˈräs-tər 

: a list usually of people belonging to some group