roller

1 of 2

noun (1)

roll·​er ˈrō-lər 

1

a

: a revolving cylinder over or on which something is moved or which is used to press, shape, spread, or smooth something

b

: a cylinder or rod on which something (such as a shade) is rolled up

2

a

: a long heavy ocean wave

b

: tumbler sense 1b

3

: one that rolls or performs a rolling operation

4

: a slowly rolling ground ball

roller

2 of 2

noun (2)

rol·​ler ˈrō-lər 

1

: any of various mostly brightly colored nonpasserine Old World birds (family Coraciidae) that perform rolling aerial dives during courtship displays

2

: a canary having a song in which the notes are soft and run together

Examples of roller in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

How to Do It: Start on your knees, with your hands on the roller. —Cori Ritchey, Men's Health, 31 Aug. 2023

The 18-inch carry-on roller has a telescoping handle and fits into the overhead compartment. —Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 29 Aug. 2023

The home renovation titans behind Magnolia Network are developing a roller dancing competition series for Max. —Jennifer Maas, Variety, 23 Aug. 2023

Welcome Home stars are developing a new roller dancing reality competition series for MAX featuring the best of the best in roller skating from across the country. —Sam Burros, Peoplemag, 23 Aug. 2023

Just as significant is the festival’s ability to nurture homegrown talent such as electronic star and San Francisco native Zhu, who grew up a block away from Golden Gate Park and used to go roller skating there with his family as a kid. —Daniel Kohn, Spin, 9 Aug. 2023

Find Your Purpose coordinates dances, roller skating, therapeutic horseback riding, aquarium and zoo trips, and more. —Thomas Goodwin Smith, Baltimore Sun, 3 Aug. 2023

Some sports items: helmets, knee pads, football pads and pants, baseball, track and soccer cleats, baseball gloves and pants, golf gloves and shoes, roller skates, roller blades and ice skates, weightlifting belts. —Sarah Bahari, Dallas News, 1 Aug. 2023

Painting pros would probably use DTM (direct-to-metal) paint and apply it with an airless spray gun, but these paints can also be applied with a brush or roller. —Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 21 July 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

German, from rollen to roll, reverberate, from Middle French roller — more at roll

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1678, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing roller

• high roller
• leaf roller
• road roller
• rock and roller
• roller bearing
• roller coaster
• roller rink
• stone roller
• roller skate
• roller towel

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• high roller
• leaf roller
• road roller
• rock and roller
• roller bearing
• roller coaster
• roller rink
• stone roller
• roller skate
• roller towel

See More

Kids Definition

roller

noun

roll·​er

ˈrō-lər

1

a

: a turning cylinder over or on which something is moved or which is used to press, shape, spread, or smooth something

b

: a rod on which something (as a map or a shade) is rolled up

c

: a small wheel (as of a roller skate)

2

: a long heavy wave on the sea

3

: one that rolls or rolls over

Medical Definition

roller

see tongue roller