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

to roll

2 7.5
To make the r sound by quickly shaking the tongue
  • verb
  • /roʊl/
  • Specialized
: vibrar la erre
  • If you can't roll your Rs, please, please, don't embarrass yourself, and just call me Mr. V.

I know there's three Rs and no, I girl, I can't roll the R me either.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • "Sophie," Aunt Gwendolyn repeated, rolling the name around her mouth, over her tongue.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Roll your tongue around.

    Lock Up (1989)

  • I allow the word to roll around in my mouth.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Maybe, a la his old man, he'd be able to roll his tongue.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • "Meow," I say, palms planted on the carpet, rolling my tongue into a Spanish purr.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • He'd chanted it a whisper; he'd rolled it on his tongue.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • To speak Spanish fluently, you need to practice to roll your Rs correctly.

  • In the game of dice, the players took turns to roll the cube and see who wins.

  • Many English learners find it challenging to roll their tongue when pronouncing certain words.

Synonyms

to trill
vsto roll
  • Specialized
5 7.5

To make the r sound by moving the tongue quickly against the roof of the mouth

refers specifically to that action when producing the letter r

Idioms

on a roll
  • Informal
53 5.6

A period of continued success and good luck

ready to roll
  • Informal
41 4.3

Prepared to begin an activity such as a game or meeting

to roll out the red carpet
  • Informal
8 3.7

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

to roll off the tongue
  • Informal
5 3.6

To be easy and pleasant to say

to heads will roll
  • Offensive
3 8.2

Warn that people will be punished or lose their jobs

roll in the hay
  • NSFW
3 9.2

A short, casual time when two people have sex

to roll out the welcome mat
  • Informal
2 4.8

Make someone feel very welcome by giving special care

to roll in the hay
  • NSFW
2 9.2

To have sex briefly in a casual way

to roll back the years
  • Informal
1 6.9

Make someone feel young again when they remember the past

to roll one's eyes
  • Informal
1 3.7

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

to roll up one's sleeves
  • Informal
1 3.8

To get ready to do hard work

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

Phrasal Verbs

to roll over
121 1.4

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

to roll up
119 3.4

Fold or turn something so it becomes a tight round shape

to roll out
107 3.9

To introduce a new product or service to the public

to roll in
63 3.3

To come in steadily or in large numbers

to roll up
  • Informal
44 6.0

Arrive in a vehicle in a way that people notice

to roll around
  • Informal
26 3.2

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

to roll out
21 3.4

To make something flat by unrolling it or using a roller

to roll up
  • US
15 3.7

Move a car window up to close it

to roll tape
  • Archaic
12 5.6

To start recording video or sound

to roll up
11 3.7

Collect small amounts until they become a larger total

to roll off
8 5.8

To say facts or numbers quickly and easily

to roll over
  • Specialized
7 5.3

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

to call roll
  • US
3 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 and roll
148 1.8

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

rock 'n' roll
87 3.0

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

roll call
36 3.2

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

egg roll
  • US
26 1.4

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

drum roll
15 3.1

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

roll film
  • Archaic
14 3.9

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

spring roll
11 2.5

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

rock-and-roll
11 2.6

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

cinnamon roll
10 1.0

A sweet baked roll of dough filled with cinnamon and sugar

roll-up
9 4.0

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

toilet roll
  • UK
6 1.0

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

sweet roll
4 1.1

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

jelly roll
  • US
3 3.5

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

barrel roll
  • Specialized
3 7.8

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

sausage roll
  • UK
2 1.2

A baked snack of sausage meat wrapped in pastry

roll-on
2 3.8

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

dice roll
2 4.7

A choice with an uncertain result that may be risky

crescent roll
  • US
2 3.0

A rich, flaky bread roll shaped like a curved moon

California roll
2 3.0

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

roll bar
  • Specialized
1 3.5

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

soft roll
1 1.3

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

kaiser roll
  • US
1 3.9

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

hard roll
1 2.1

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

Parker House roll
  • US
1 5.1

A soft, buttery dinner roll folded in half before baking

rock 'n' roll musician
1 3.3

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

snap roll
  • Specialized
1 9.0

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

onion roll
1 2.7

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

Swiss roll
1 2.6

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

roll-on
1 7.2

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

roll-up
  • Jargon
1 6.0

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

jelly roll
  • Jargon
1 4.2

A roll of cut cotton strips used for quilting

muster roll
  • Jargon
1 8.6

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

hamburger roll
1 1.0

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

Vienna roll
1 5.8

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

finger-roll
  • Jargon
1 7.2

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

church roll
1 5.1

A list of people who belong to a church

roll-up
  • Specialized
1 5.0

A summary that adds together smaller numbers from different parts

rent-roll
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A list showing tenants' names and the rent they pay

death-roll
1 8.4

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

coffee roll
1 3.4

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

roll-on roll-off
  • Specialized
1 4.6

A ship or ferry that vehicles drive on and off

pinwheel roll
1 5.1

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

roll of tobacco
1 4.6

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

cinnamon roll
  • Slang
8.1

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

clover-leaf roll
  • US
5.6

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

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

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

A helpful way to remember roll your r's is to think of a small rolling movement of the tongue, like a tiny wheel turning, which makes a vibrating sound. So to roll your r's means to make the 'r' sound with a quick, repeated motion.