🐦 A tumbling pigeon 🛼 A small wheel 🍞 A rolling tool 🌊 A large wave 🦜 A colorful bird ⚾ A rolling ball

roller

35 1.9

A small wheel that turns to help things move

noun
/ˈroʊlər/

: rodillo

Three young boys skate around on roller blades, passing a street hockey ball between them proficiently.
roller skating
roller bearing
roller slide

So they have two rollers it looks like and.

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Examples

So as we move the ball, it's in contact with these rollers and so these wheels turn.
You put that one there, that one there, it just slides on those rollers and you're good.
I just happen to have a roller derby bout this weekend.

Mars (2024)
It's got a big roller and a little roller here that's solid.
A hand placed on the rollers stops their rotation, while the roller shaft continues spinning inside.

Academic text (2002)
We actually went roller-skating.

Dual (2022)
The exposed film is then put through a heated set of rollers that squeezes the capsules.

Academic text (1992)
The children laughed as they rolled down the hill on their roller skates.
To move the heavy boxes, we used a cart with several rollers underneath.
He carefully rolled the paint onto the wall using a large roller for even coverage.

Compounds

roller coaster

42 1.6

A fast amusement park ride with steep slopes and sharp turns

roller coaster

Informal

33 3.4

A situation with sudden extreme changes in mood or luck

high roller

25 5.6

A person who gambles or spends very large amounts of money, often in casinos

roller skate

9 2.3

A shoe with small wheels under it for moving on hard ground

Holy Roller

Slur

4 9.9

A Christian who worships with loud, joyful actions like shouting, dancing, or rolling on the floor

roller skating

3 1.6

An activity of moving on shoes with small wheels

roller-skater

1 2.3

A person who moves on shoes with small wheels for sport or fun

paint roller

1 2.3

A tool with a soft round surface for painting large walls or ceilings

roller bearing

Specialized

1 5.5

A machine part with small round pieces that roll to let other parts move smoothly

European roller

8.9

A brightly coloured bird with blue and green feathers and a reddish back that flies in quick rolls

leaf roller

Specialized

8.4

A small moth whose caterpillars roll leaves and tie them with silk to make a nest

leaf-roller

Specialized

8.9

A moth whose caterpillars roll and tie leaves with silk to make a nest

garden roller

4.2

A heavy round tool you roll to press and level a lawn

ground roller

9.9

A bird from Madagascar that lives on the ground and is active at dusk, eating insects and worms

road roller

Specialized

2.9

A heavy vehicle with wide smooth drums that flattens and hardens road surfaces

roller bit

Specialized

8.4

A drill part with hard turning wheels that cut through rock

roller blind

3.0

A window covering made of fabric that moves up and down to block light and give privacy

roller ironer

Specialized

7.9

A large machine with a hot roller that irons and dries things like sheets and tablecloths

roller bandage

4.1

A roll of cloth used to wrap wounds or support injured body parts

roller ski

6.5

A long narrow frame with wheels used for training on roads when there is no snow

roller towel

Archaic

4.3

A long loop of cloth that turns on a roller for drying hands

pill roller

7.2

A person who prepares and gives medicines, usually a pharmacist

How Big

car wheel

1 1.0

bicycle wheel

1 1.0

roller

35 1.9

roller skate

9 2.3

caster

2 3.7

Surface Forms

roller singular

rollers plural

Morphology

roller = roll (transparent) = roll + er

An agent/instrument noun from 'roll' with the common meaning 'a small wheel that rolls'.

Etymology

Roller comes from roll plus -er, so it means 'one that rolls'. A small wheel called a roller (on skates or suitcases) is named because it simply 'rolls' on an axle to make movement easy.