rolling

American  

[roh-ling] / ˈroʊ lɪŋ /

noun

1. the action, motion, or sound of anything that rolls.

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adjective

1. moving by revolving or turning over and over.

2. rising and falling in gentle slopes, as land.

   rolling hills.

3. moving in undulating billows, as clouds or waves.

   Jessica felt a peace steal over her as she watched the rolling waves.

4. rocking or swaying from side to side.

   The rolling movement of the train car lulled most of the passengers to sleep.

5. turning or folding over, as a collar.

6. producing a deep, continuous sound.

   rolling thunder.

7. steadily moving onward in a series of stages.

   a rolling program of renovations.

idioms

1. rolling in (something), luxuriating or abounding in (something, especially money).

   As a nonprofit, the Tandy Academy of Music is not exactly rolling in cash.

2. rolling (in the aisles), (of an audience or audience member) convulsed with laughter: Also in the aisles

   Arden had her audience in tears with one song, then rolling in the aisles with her humor.

rolling British  

/ ˈrəʊlɪŋ /

adjective

1. having gentle rising and falling slopes; undulating

   rolling country

2. progressing or spreading by stages or by occurrences in different places in succession, with continued or increasing effectiveness

   three weeks of rolling strikes disrupted schools

3. subject to regular review and updating

   a rolling plan for overseas development

4. deeply resounding; reverberating

   rolling thunder

5. slang extremely rich

6. that may be turned up or down

   a rolling hat brim

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adverb

1. slang swaying or staggering (in the phrase rolling drunk )

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rollingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of rolling

First recorded in 1400–50; Late Middle English; see roll, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

Over rolling five-year periods since 1968, the correlation coefficient between monthly changes in gold and the GPR has varied from a low of minus 0.28 to a high of plus 0.33.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026

At the developers conference, Apple’s executives said it’s rolling out new parental controls, including the ability to more easily manage which websites their children are browsing and which apps they’re using.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

The Bulls' afternoon worsened as a rolling maul resulted in a penalty try for the hosts and Ruan Nortje was yellow carded in the aftermath.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

The company is rolling out its first new da Vinci platform in a decade, with a big step up in computing power, data analytics, and imaging.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

The gray mass of roiling earth began tumbling, rolling down and away from the summit.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Related Words

• hilly
• undulating