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🔄 To turn over 🌊 A swaying movement 🥖 To shape into tube 🧻 A cylinder 🌩️ To make deep sound 🌩️ A deep sound 🕵️ To cheat 📜 A list or register 🚶 To wander 🎲 A dice throw 👅 To trill r ✈️ A flight spin
to roll

to roll

270 2.5
To make a long deep sound like thunder or drums
  • verb
  • /roʊl/
translation icon : retumbar
  • Attempts by conservative elements within the CCP to roll back economic reforms have proved unsuccessful.
  • thunder rolls

Examples

  • Already queasy, Emma's stomach had rolled with a combination of terror and too many sweets.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The thunder began to roll ominously across the sky, signaling an approaching storm.

  • But that pain will roll over the Earth.

    Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

  • You never heard a man roll through the neighborhood with just the weather report.

  • Teach students to sustain the sound by rolling on their assigned single pitch.

    Academic text (2011)

  • And the water and land roll over it like a conveyor belt.

    Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie (2014)

  • As the band played, the deep drums started to roll, reverberating throughout the hall.

  • The distant sound of cannon fire could be heard rolling through the valley like a thunderstorm.

Synonyms

to sound
vsto roll
935 1.0

To make a noise that others can hear

is specifically a deep prolonged resonant and reverberating tone
to ring
vsto roll
430 1.0

To make a clear sound like a bell that can be heard far away

is lower and more prolonged rather than bright ringing
to roar
vsto roll
98 1.0

To make a loud deep continuous sound like an animal, crowd, or machine

is similar but highlights a prolonged echoing low tone
to rumble
vsto roll
  • Literature
84 2.5

To make a low, deep, continuous sound

emphasises a strong reverberating and deep pulsing tone
to echo
vsto roll
35 1.4

To return as a sound after bouncing off a surface like a wall or cliff

focuses more on deep sustained resonance than simple repetition
to boom
vsto roll
33 3.4

To make a deep loud sound like thunder or a cannon

is less about single impact and more about prolonged reverberation
to ring out
vsto roll
26 3.6

To make a loud clear sound that people can hear far away

is specifically a deep prolonged resonating tone rather than clear ringing
to thunder
vsto roll
21 3.2

To make a loud, strong sound to show anger or give orders

stresses a prolonged reverberant quality rather than general loudness
to reverberate
vsto roll
11 6.6

To make a sound echo through a place

adds depth and a long pulsing base to the echoed quality
to resound
vsto roll
11 5.3

To fill a room with a loud sound that echoes

leans more toward low prolonged resonance rather than general echo
to boom out
vsto roll
1 5.7

To make a deep loud sound that can be heard far away

focuses more on continuous reverberation and long pulsing quality

Antonyms

to muffle
64 5.8

To make a sound or feeling quieter so it is less noticeable

Idioms

on a roll
  • Informal
42 5.6

A period of continued success and good luck

ready to roll
  • Informal
29 4.3

Prepared to begin an activity such as a game or meeting

to roll up one's sleeves
  • Informal
19 3.8

To get ready to do hard work

to roll out the red carpet
  • Informal
6 3.7

To give someone a very special welcome, like an important guest

to roll off the tongue
  • Informal
4 3.6

To be easy and pleasant to say

to heads will roll
  • Offensive
2 8.2

Warn that people will be punished or lose their jobs

roll in the hay
  • NSFW
1 9.2

A short, casual time when two people have sex

to roll out the welcome mat
  • Informal
1 4.8

Make someone feel very welcome by giving special care

to roll a Yahtzee
  • Jargon
9.1

To throw five dice that show the same number in Yahtzee

to roll about in laughter
  • Informal
3.3

Feel so amused that you fall over and move on the floor

to roll back the years
  • Informal
6.9

Make someone feel young again when they remember the past

to roll in the hay
  • NSFW
9.2

To have sex briefly in a casual way

to roll one's eyes
  • Informal
3.7

To move your eyes away from someone to show you are annoyed or do not believe them

Phrasal Verbs

to roll in
48 3.3

To come in steadily or in large numbers

to roll out
43 3.9

To introduce a new product or service to the public

to roll over
30 1.4

To turn your body or an object so the other side faces up

to roll up
25 3.4

Fold or turn something so it becomes a tight round shape

to roll up
  • Informal
24 6.0

Arrive in a vehicle in a way that people notice

to roll up
22 3.7

Collect small amounts until they become a larger total

to roll around
  • Informal
13 3.2

To come again at the usual time, for example each year

to roll up
  • US
10 3.7

Move a car window up to close it

to roll over
  • Specialized
9 5.3

To move money from one investment into another when the first ends

to roll out
8 3.4

To make something flat by unrolling it or using a roller

to roll tape
  • Archaic
1 5.6

To start recording video or sound

to roll off
1 5.8

To say facts or numbers quickly and easily

to call roll
  • US
1 3.4

To read a list of names aloud to check who is present

to roll a reefer
  • NSFW
9.9

Make a small cigarette from marijuana by wrapping it in thin paper

Compounds

rock 'n' roll
552 3.0

A style of popular music from the 1950s with a strong beat

rock and roll
107 1.8

A type of popular music from the 1950s with a strong beat and electric guitars

roll call
27 3.2

People call out a list of names to check who is present in a meeting, classroom or group

egg roll
  • US
18 1.4

A Chinese fried food made by wrapping meat and vegetables in thin dough

spring roll
10 2.5

A small fried snack filled with vegetables and sometimes meat, often served as an appetizer

drum roll
8 3.1

A quick, continuous beat on a drum that builds suspense before an important moment

cinnamon roll
5 1.0

A sweet baked roll of dough filled with cinnamon and sugar

rock-and-roll
4 2.6

Popular music from 1950s America with a strong beat and simple tunes

sweet roll
4 1.1

A small sweet bread made with yeast, often with cinnamon, nuts, or glaze

barrel roll
  • Specialized
2 7.8

A flying stunt where a plane makes one full turn while rolling as it moves forward

California roll
2 3.0

A sushi roll that has avocado, crab or imitation crab, and cucumber with rice on the outside

crescent roll
  • US
2 3.0

A rich, flaky bread roll shaped like a curved moon

toilet roll
  • UK
2 1.0

A roll of soft paper for cleaning your bottom after using the toilet

sausage roll
  • UK
1 1.2

A baked snack of sausage meat wrapped in pastry

hard roll
1 2.1

A small round bread baked to have a hard, crisp crust

jelly roll
  • US
1 3.5

A thin sponge cake spread with jam and rolled into a spiral

roll film
  • Archaic
1 3.9

A strip of material for taking photos that is wound on a spool

Parker House roll
  • US
1 5.1

A soft, buttery dinner roll folded in half before baking

finger-roll
  • Jargon
1 7.2

A basketball shot made near the basket by rolling the ball off the fingertips

jelly roll
  • Jargon
1 4.2

A roll of cut cotton strips used for quilting

kaiser roll
  • US
1 3.9

A round crusty bread roll with a crisp top often sprinkled with poppy seeds

rock 'n' roll musician
1 3.3

A person who plays, sings, or writes rock and roll music

roll bar
  • Specialized
1 3.5

A strong metal bar inside a vehicle that protects people if it flips over

roll-up
  • Jargon
1 6.0

A plan to buy several small companies and join them into a larger one

roll-up
1 4.0

An object made into a tight tube, like a poster or snack

onion roll
1 2.7

A soft bread roll with pieces of onion inside or on top

snap roll
  • Specialized
1 9.0

A very quick, complete rotation of a plane around its nose-to-tail line while flying straight

soft roll
1 1.3

A small round bread made with yeast that has a soft crust and soft inside

cinnamon roll
  • Slang
8.1

A very kind, innocent person who seems unlikely to hurt others

church roll
5.1

A list of people who belong to a church

coffee roll
3.4

A sweet yeast roll often made with spices, raisins or nuts and served with coffee

clover-leaf roll
  • US
5.6

A small soft roll made from three dough balls joined in a clover shape

death-roll
8.4

A list of people killed, often during a war or disaster

dice roll
4.7

A choice with an uncertain result that may be risky

anti-roll
  • Specialized
6.0

A device added to a vehicle, like a bar, to reduce side-to-side rolling

moxa roll
  • Specialized
9.9

A stick of dried mugwort leaves that you light to warm body points in traditional therapy

hamburger roll
1.0

A round soft bread roll for holding a cooked meat patty and toppings

muster roll
  • Jargon
8.6

A list people use to check who is present in a military unit or ship crew

rent-roll
  • Specialized
9.9

A list showing tenants' names and the rent they pay

roll of tobacco
4.6

A small bundle of tobacco leaves rolled into a cylinder for smoking

roll-on roll-off
  • Specialized
4.6

A ship or ferry that vehicles drive on and off

roll-on
7.2

A tight piece of underwear you pull on over the hips to shape the body

roll-on
3.8

A small bottle with a round ball at the top that applies liquid to the skin like deodorant

roll-up
  • Specialized
5.0

A summary that adds together smaller numbers from different parts

pinwheel roll
5.1

A sweet baked roll shaped like a pinwheel filled with jam and cinnamon sugar

Swiss roll
2.6

A thin sponge cake spread with jam or cream and shaped into a tube

Vienna roll
5.8

A small round bread roll made with yeast and a crisp crust

How Loud

to boom
33 3.4
to roar
98 1.0
to roll
270 2.5
to rumble
  • Literature
84 2.5
murmur
36 4.1

Surface Forms

roll infinitive
rolled past
rolled past participle
rolling present participle
rolls third person singular

Etymology

Roll in the sense of making a deep sound comes from the same idea of repeated turning motion, like a wheel or drum moving again and again, similar to rotate ('turn'). So thunder or drums that roll produce a long, low sound that carries far.