roster

American  

[ros-ter] / ˈrɒs tər /

noun

1. a list of persons or groups, as of military personnel or units with their turns or periods of duty.

   Synonyms:

   record, panel, slate, listing

2. any list, roll, or register.

   a roster of famous scientists; a roster of coming events.

   Synonyms:

   record, panel, slate, listing

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roster ¹ British  

/ ˈrɒstə /

noun

1. a list or register, esp one showing the order of people enrolled for duty

2. marketing the list of advertising agencies regularly used by a particular company

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verb

1. (tr) to place on a roster

roster ² British  

/ ˈrɒstə /

noun

1. dialect a rascal

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Usage

What does roster mean? A roster is a list or register of people or things.Roster is perhaps most commonly used to refer to the official list of players on a sports team, but it can refer to many other things, including lists of military personnel and lists of academic classes.Example: We have spots on our roster for 26 players.

Etymology

Origin of roster

1720–30; < Dutch rooster list, roster, literally, gridiron, in reference to the ruled paper used, equivalent to roost ( en ) to roast + -er -er ¹

Example Sentences

In January, India's civil aviation regulator imposed a fine of $2.45 million on IndiGo for poor roster planning that led to large-scale cancellations in December.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

Gabriela Jaquez, one of seven seniors on the roster, is proud of how much the Bruins have grown since last season.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

Recently, actor Samuel L. Jackson joined their roster of supporters.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

The fast-entry rule would shorten the time it takes for a newly public company to make the Nasdaq-100 roster to less than a month.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

Moushumi goes to her mailbox to look for her class roster.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Related Words

• agenda
• inventory
• record
• schedule
• table