role

noun

variants or less commonly rôle
1
a(1)
: a character assigned or assumed
had to take on the role of both father and mother
(2)
: a socially expected behavior pattern usually determined by an individual's status in a particular society
b
: a part played by an actor or singer
2
: a function or part performed especially in a particular operation or process
played a major role in the negotiations

Examples of role in a Sentence

He plays the role of the villain. She was given the starring role. I had a minor role in the play. After her husband left her, she had to take on the dual role of mother and father for her children. She likes to play the role of matchmaker with her friends. She challenged the traditional roles assigned to women. We'll switch roles this time, and you can wash the dishes while I dry them. It was a case of role reversal: the father stayed home with the children while the mother worked.
Recent Examples on the Web Last week, a separate report from a Boston University research center that analyzed Card’s brain after his death found that Card had traumatic brain injury that probably played a role in his behavioral changes. Justine McDaniel, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 The organizations that verify certificates should play a role in establishing the rules, but so should governments. Paul Winters, Discover Magazine, 16 Mar. 2024 Crawfish play a major role in Louisiana’s culture and economy, but drought conditions have endangered this year’s harvest. Hayden Begley, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024 Trump himself is on the March 19 ballot, but Ohio won't have much of a role to play in the presidential primary. Haley Bemiller, The Enquirer, 16 Mar. 2024 Her guidance is less about panic, and more about planning ahead—and simply focusing on our roles as parents instead of thinking fast to come up with an answer. Melissa Willets, Parents, 16 Mar. 2024 Both parents were convicted on four counts of involuntary manslaughter for their roles in their son’s mass shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan on November 30, 2021. Eric Levenson, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 That Spent 40 Years in Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band After starring in All That, Samuels landed roles on That’s So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and most recently acted in an episode of the Disney reboot Raven’s Home. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2024 The Butterfly Jungle Safari experience allows visitors to wander through the Hidden Jungle aviary among hundreds of butterflies, feed them and learn about their essential role in the ecosystem. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'role.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French rôle, literally, roll, from Old French rolle

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Time Traveler
The first known use of role was in 1605

Dictionary Entries Near role

Cite this Entry

“Role.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/role. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

role

noun
variants also rôle
1
a
: a character assigned or taken on
b
: a socially expected behavior pattern usually determined by an individual's status in a particular society
c
: a part played by an actor or singer
a starring role
2
: function entry 1 sense 2a
the role of enzymes in digestion
Etymology

from French rôle "part played by an actor," literally "scroll"; so called because before the use of books, the actor's parts were written on scrolls

Medical Definition

role

noun
variants also rôle
: a socially prescribed pattern of behavior usually determined by an individual's status in a particular society

More from Merriam-Webster on role

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