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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

36 7.5
To make the r sound by quickly shaking the tongue
  • verb
  • /roʊl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : 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.

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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
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

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.