roller

1 of 2

noun (1)

roll·​er ˈrō-lər How to pronounce roller (audio)
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
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 How to pronounce roller (audio)
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 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'roller.' 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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of roller was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near roller

Cite this Entry

“Roller.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roller. Accessed 28 Sep. 2023.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on roller

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!