roll call

noun

1

: the act or an instance of calling off a list of names (as for checking attendance)

also : a time for a roll call

2

: list entry 1

Synonyms of roll call

• list
• listing

Examples of roll call in a Sentence

Two students missed roll call.

the roll call of the fallen was read aloud at the memorial service

Recent Examples on the Web

Local media reports say a roll call at the school revealed that 52 students are missing as well as a number of staff. —James Bwala, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2025

Democrats cheered after the roll call was read. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 18 Nov. 2025

The Breakers, the new four-story, colonial-style, 425-guest-room hotel, reopened for the season the following year, and its guest register read like a roll call of the famous—and infamous—surnames of the Gilded Age. —David Shaftel, Travel + Leisure, 15 Nov. 2025

Echoing Eminem’s 2022 hall of fame address, White rattled off a roll call of nearly three dozen genre-spanning artists who had paved the way for the White Stripes, from the Gories to Loretta Lynn to Captain Beefheart. —Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 9 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for roll call

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

Kids Definition

roll call

noun

: the action of calling off a list of names (as for checking attendance)

also : a time for a roll call

Legal Definition

roll call

noun

: the act or an instance of calling off a list of names (as for checking attendance)

specifically : an act or instance of calling the roll of a legislative body to determine if there is a quorum or to vote on a matter