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

The weekend celebration started on Friday with a roller skating party on the smooth arena floor followed by a full schedule on Saturday of performances by local artists, tours and refreshments. —Doug Duran, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026

Scoop up our favorite finds, including a pasta roller attachment for making the perfect homemade pasta, a handheld blender for easy smoothies in seconds, and darling towels that serve as the ultimate cleaning companion, from $8. —Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 26 Jan. 2026

Heyerdahl demonstrated the technique’s feasibility in the nineteen-eighties, and more recently Carl Lipo and Terry Hunt have done the same, though others still argue for sledges or rollers. —Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026

And no hero character in any of Wilson’s previous stuff plays a larger role than part-time rock-and-roller Jack Macco, who Wilson meets when the guy is handing out free tequila samples at a liquor store. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026

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
• roller skate
• roller towel
• stone roller

Rhymes for roller

• bowler
• choler
• dolor
• molar
• polar
• solar
• soler
• stroller
• troller
• volar
• ambipolar
• areolar

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