roller

1 of 2

noun (1)

roll·​er ˈrō-lər How to pronounce roller (audio)
1
a
: a revolving cylinder over or on which something is moved or which is used to press, shape, spread, or smooth something
b
: a cylinder or rod on which something (such as a shade) is rolled up
2
a
: a long heavy ocean wave
3
: one that rolls or performs a rolling operation
4
: a slowly rolling ground ball

roller

2 of 2

noun (2)

rol·​ler ˈrō-lər How to pronounce roller (audio)
1
: any of various mostly brightly colored nonpasserine Old World birds (family Coraciidae) that perform rolling aerial dives during courtship displays
2
: a canary having a song in which the notes are soft and run together

Examples of roller in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In the photo, a giddy-looking Garten poses with five rollers in her hair. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024 One photo showed 50-pound rollers that had fallen off the conveyor belt. Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024 Instead, de Looper used rollers to sweep bands of color horizontally across the composition. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024 This facial ice roller borrows from the original jade design but with a cool twist. Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 19 Feb. 2024 There’s a massage room, equipped with foam rollers and stability balls; outside, a hot tub, a cold plunge pool, and a sauna are set on a sprawling deck with views of the Chugach Mountains. Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 3 Feb. 2024 Local rock ‘n’ rollers, especially those who fondly recall years gone by at the Casbah, should be psyched about opening night of the Oceanside Film Festival (OFF) on Tuesday. David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2024 Body Back Glacier Ball Anyone who exercises a lot and appreciates a good foot massager would also enjoy this more compact cold massage roller, which is great for easing muscle aches, soreness, tension, and stiffness. Olivia Muenter, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2024 Duties involve the application of paint to a variety of surfaces using a brush, roller, spray gun and linelazer equipment. Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 9 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'roller.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

German, from rollen to roll, reverberate, from Middle French roller — more at roll

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1678, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of roller was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near roller

Cite this Entry

“Roller.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roller. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

roller

noun
roll·​er
ˈrō-lər
1
a
: a turning cylinder over or on which something is moved or which is used to press, shape, spread, or smooth something
b
: a rod on which something (as a map or a shade) is rolled up
c
: a small wheel (as of a roller skate)
2
: a long heavy wave on the sea
3
: one that rolls or rolls over

Medical Definition

roller

More from Merriam-Webster on roller

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