1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

roll back 1 of 2

verb

Definition of roll backnext
as in to abolish
to put an end to by formal action lobbyists for the industry pressured the legislators to roll back the new automotive safety standards

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

rollback

2 of 2

noun

as in reversal

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of roll back
Verb
Rather than proposing solutions to the grid’s actual problems, many utilities are using this moment to roll back the reforms that forced them to compete in the first place. — Joshua MacEy, Hartford Courant, 28 Aug. 2026 Hospital lobbyists and leaders have begun laying the groundwork to delay, roll back, or mitigate the unwelcome cuts, which will start to take effect next year, STAT’s Daniel Payne reports today. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 27 Aug. 2026
Noun
Supporters point to tighter public finances, the rollback of costly measures, more than 1 million additional jobs, unemployment below 6% and youth unemployment at new lows. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 The 68-year-old governor Friday touted the state’s rollback of a regulation that required restaurants or bars to obtain special permission to allow any form of dancing on their premises. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for roll back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roll back
  1. abolish
  2. reversal
  3. repeal
  4. surrender
  5. cancel
  6. abolition
  7. avoid
  8. relinquishment
Verb
  • In 2017, Alabama abolished judicial override and stopped allowing judges to change juries' sentencing decision in capital cases.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The endorsement comes as Republican Steve Hilton expressed desires to abolish the Department of Motor Vehicles and cut the state workforce by 10%.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of abolish
Noun
  • That would mark a steep reversal from the 50% growth the bank reported in its second quarter.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The Saints could have folded after a second-quarter replay reversal took a touchdown off the board.
    — Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of reversal
Verb
  • On his 71st birthday, Pope Leo XIV gave Vatican workers a raise, repealing pandemic-era salary cuts and frozen pay hikes first imposed under Pope Francis to shore up finances.
    — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Environmental groups say the move to repeal power plant rules will increase pollutants that harm human health.
    — Julia Simon, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of repeal
Noun
  • And that was actually really important, that sense of surrender.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The surrender followed an investigation that involved multiple Sacramento-area law enforcement agencies, including West Sacramento police and the Yolo Regional SWAT Team.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of surrender
Verb
  • Some earlier assassins expected it of themselves, canceling plots that would have killed bystanders.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The show has been canceled due to the field conditions at 1846 Farms being too muddy.
    — Mike Darnay, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of cancel
Noun
  • At that time, his eldest daughter, Maria Adelaide, ascended to the throne—a succession made possible by the abolition of the Salic Law, which had restricted the line of succession to males only.
    — Giorgia Olivieri, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Long after the abolition of slavery, many white southerners, including my father, who was born into the first breaths of the civil-rights movement, were still raised by Black nannies.
    — Annie Joy Williams, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of abolition
Verb
  • Oxygen, neon and magnesium white dwarfs can avoid that destruction thanks to their high densities.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • That law — the Employee Retirement Income Security Act — allows such plans to avoid most rules set by the states, which generally regulate most other types of insurance and assist consumers who report problems with their policies.
    — Julie Appleby, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of avoid
Noun
  • In North Carolina, a 2024 study examining state enforcement laws found that despite 93% of cases meeting the conditions for gun relinquishment, the policy was enforced in only 37% of cases.
    — Sativa Banks, The Conversation, 4 June 2026
  • Benjamin qualified for the national bee by winning the San Diego County Scripps Regional Spelling Bee in March, correctly spelling kenosis, the relinquishment of divine attributes by Jesus Christ in becoming human, in the 23rd round.
    — City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2026
Definition of relinquishment

Browse Nearby Words

roll
roll back
rollback
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Roll back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roll%20back. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of aggrandize

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All