“Roll” – Meanings and usage examples in English

“Roll” [rəʊl] in English has several meanings, the primary ones being “to move by turning over and over” or “to rotate” (in this article, we will consider it as a verb). However, this word can also mean “to wrap” or “to curl.” In everyday life, we often encounter this word in various situations, such as describing the movement of objects, human actions, or even emotional states. Let’s examine examples of “roll” in English.

Moving by turning over, rotating:

• The ball rolled down the hill.
• The car rolled slowly down the street.

Wrapping, curling:

• She rolled up the poster and put it in her bag.
• He rolled the dough into a ball.

Moving continuously, progressing:

• The years roll by quickly.
• As time rolls on, things change.

“Roll” is often used as a phrasal verb. For example, “roll out” means “to launch” or “to implement,” while “roll back” means “to reduce” or “to retreat.” Let’s examine the main phrasal verbs with “roll,” their meanings, and usage examples.

Phrasal verbs with “Roll”

Roll out

• Meaning: to launch, implement, or introduce (a new product, plan, etc.).
• Example: The company will roll out the new software update next month.

Roll in

• Meaning 1: to arrive or appear in large quantities.
• Example: The money started rolling in after we launched the new product.
• Meaning 2: to arrive somewhere, especially late.
• Example: She rolled in at 10 AM, two hours late for the meeting.

Roll up

• Meaning 1: to arrive or approach (often unexpectedly); to wrap or curl.
• Example: He rolled up at the party without an invitation.
• Meaning 2: used to encourage people to come to a public event.
• Example: Roll up, roll up! Come and see the amazing acrobatics!

Roll over

• Meaning: to turn over; to transfer (something to another term or period).
• Example: The dog rolled over on command.

Roll back

• Meaning 1: to reduce or return to a previous state.
• Example: The government plans to roll back the recent tax increase.
• Meaning 2: to retreat, to give up ground.
• Example: The troops were forced to roll back after the enemy’s counterattack.

Roll on

• Meaning: to continue moving or developing; (often used to express impatience for a future event).
• Examples: As the years roll on, technology keeps advancing.
• Examples: Roll on the weekend! I can’t wait to relax.

Roll with

• Meaning: to cope with a situation, to adapt to circumstances.
• Example: You have to roll with the punches in this job.

Roll by

• Meaning: to pass (of time), to pass by.
• Example: The days rolled by quickly during the summer vacation.

Roll away

• Meaning: to roll off, to move away.
• Example: The ball rolled away down the hill.

Roll into

• Meaning: to enter, to come into (a place).
• Example: The train rolled into the station.

Roll off

• Meaning: to slide off, to tumble off.
• Example: The cat rolled off the couch.

Roll down

• Meaning: to lower (a car window), to descend.
• Example: He rolled down the car window to talk to his friend.

Roll around

• Meaning: to come around, to arrive (of an event), to roll about.
• Example: When summer rolls around, we always go to the beach.

Roll along

• Meaning: to continue moving or developing.
• Example: The project is rolling along smoothly.

Roll off the tongue

• Meaning: to be easy to pronounce.
• Example: His name rolls off the tongue easily.