roly-poly

1 of 2

adjective

ro·ly-po·ly ˌrō-lē-ˈpō-lē

Synonyms of roly-poly next

: being short and pudgy : rotund

roly-poly

2 of 2

noun

plural roly-polies

: a roly-poly person or thing

British : a sweet dough spread with a filling, rolled, and baked or steamed

called also roly-poly pudding

Examples of roly-poly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Wade’s gurgling pompadour matches well with his roly-poly physique and go-with-the-flow personality. —

Hugh Hart, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023 These don’t come up as high as other boots on the market, which means a more flexible shoe, but potentially less ankle support for hikers with roly-poly ankles. —

Maggie Slepian, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2023 One of them gave us an impromptu tutorial in how the cotton is picked, pulled, and dyed using the region’s natural resources: a smoky brown came from avocado bark, a fluorescent green from rosemary leaves, a rich crimson from crushed roly-poly bugs. —

David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 19 Aug. 2023 Joey was a roly-poly 7th grader, embittered that he’d been uprooted. —

Brad Townsend, Dallas News, 11 July 2023

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