paint roller

noun

1. a roller of absorbent material, mounted on a handle, that is rolled in a trough of paint and then rolled over a flat surface to be painted.

Word History and Origins

Origin of paint roller¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

This is great if you're driving over and picking up dry dirt, but if the robot encounters a soft mass of something that it can grind up, those spinning brushes quickly become paint rollers.

From Ars Technica