Definition of roll

• n. - To cause to revolve by turning over and over; to move by turning on an axis; to impel forward by causing to turn over and over on a supporting surface; as, to roll a wheel, a ball, or a barrel.
• n. - To wrap round on itself; to form into a spherical or cylindrical body by causing to turn over and over; as, to roll a sheet of paper; to roll parchment; to roll clay or putty into a ball.
• n. - To bind or involve by winding, as in a bandage; to inwrap; -- often with up; as, to roll up a parcel.
• n. - To drive or impel forward with an easy motion, as of rolling; as, a river rolls its waters to the ocean.
• n. - To utter copiously, esp. with sounding words; to utter with a deep sound; -- often with forth, or out; as, to roll forth some one's praises; to roll out sentences.
• n. - To press or level with a roller; to spread or form with a roll, roller, or rollers; as, to roll a field; to roll paste; to roll steel rails, etc.
• n. - To move, or cause to be moved, upon, or by means of, rollers or small wheels.
• n. - To beat with rapid, continuous strokes, as a drum; to sound a roll upon.
• n. - To apply (one line or surface) to another without slipping; to bring all the parts of (one line or surface) into successive contact with another, in suck manner that at every instant the parts that have been in contact are equal.
• n. - To turn over in one's mind; to revolve.
• v. i. - To move, as a curved object may, along a surface by rotation without sliding; to revolve upon an axis; to turn over and over; as, a ball or wheel rolls on the earth; a body rolls on an inclined plane.
• v. i. - To move on wheels; as, the carriage rolls along the street.
• v. i. - To be wound or formed into a cylinder or ball; as, the cloth rolls unevenly; the snow rolls well.
• v. i. - To fall or tumble; -- with over; as, a stream rolls over a precipice.
• v. i. - To perform a periodical revolution; to move onward as with a revolution; as, the rolling year; ages roll away.
• v. i. - To turn; to move circularly.
• v. i. - To move, as waves or billows, with alternate swell and depression.
• v. i. - To incline first to one side, then to the other; to rock; as, there is a great difference in ships about rolling; in a general semse, to be tossed about.
• v. i. - To turn over, or from side to side, while lying down; to wallow; as, a horse rolls.
• v. i. - To spread under a roller or rolling-pin; as, the paste rolls well.
• v. i. - To beat a drum with strokes so rapid that they can scarcely be distinguished by the ear.
• v. i. - To make a loud or heavy rumbling noise; as, the thunder rolls.
• v. - The act of rolling, or state of being rolled; as, the roll of a ball; the roll of waves.
• v. - That which rolls; a roller.
• v. - A heavy cylinder used to break clods.
• v. - One of a set of revolving cylinders, or rollers, between which metal is pressed, formed, or smoothed, as in a rolling mill; as, to pass rails through the rolls.
• v. - That which is rolled up; as, a roll of fat, of wool, paper, cloth, etc.
• v. - A document written on a piece of parchment, paper, or other materials which may be rolled up; a scroll.
• v. - Hence, an official or public document; a register; a record; also, a catalogue; a list.
• v. - A quantity of cloth wound into a cylindrical form; as, a roll of carpeting; a roll of ribbon.
• v. - A cylindrical twist of tobacco.
• v. - A kind of shortened raised biscuit or bread, often rolled or doubled upon itself.
• v. - The oscillating movement of a vessel from side to side, in sea way, as distinguished from the alternate rise and fall of bow and stern called pitching.
• v. - A heavy, reverberatory sound; as, the roll of cannon, or of thunder.
• v. - The uniform beating of a drum with strokes so rapid as scarcely to be distinguished by the ear.
• v. - Part; office; duty; role.