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role

American  
[rohl] / roʊl /
Rarely rôle

noun

  1. a part or character played by an actor or actress.

  2. proper or customary function.

    the role of religion in society.
    Synonyms:
    duty, responsibility, position, function, capacity, part, character

  3. the function assumed by a person or thing in a given action or process.

    Schools offer few practical tools to help students explore their role in shaping the future.

  4. Sociology. the rights, obligations, and expected behavior patterns associated with a particular social status.

    When studying child development, it was critical to study the father's role.
role British  
/ rəʊl /

noun

  1. a part or character in a play, film, etc, to be played by an actor or actress

  2. psychol the part played by a person in a particular social setting, influenced by his expectation of what is appropriate

  3. usual or customary function

    what is his role in the organization?
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • multirole adjective

Etymology

Origin of role

First recorded in 1600–10; from French rôle “roll (of paper containing the actor's part)”; roll

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Many teens see the financial markets playing a major role in building a comfortable life as the unemployment rate for young people increases and AI reshapes the labor market for college-educated workers, MarketWatch previously reported.

From MarketWatch

Now Italy's technical director, Buffon played a key role in appointing Gattuso to replace Spalletti in June, and he is also fully aware of the pressure that is on the shoulders of the Italians.

From BBC

Former chief justice Sushila Karki took on the role of interim prime minister and established a commission to investigate the violence.

From Barron's

“GPUs kind of get top billing wherever they go, but really the CPU is playing an incredibly important role,” Weil said.

From The Wall Street Journal

It's clear that family plays an oversized role in Daily's drive to succeed.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.