role

American  

[rohl] / roʊl /

Rarely rôle

noun

• roles
  plural

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.

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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?

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• multirole
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• roles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of role

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

Explanation

A role is a part you play. In school, you might take on the role of clown, in your family, the role of the responsible one, on stage, the role of Juliet. Role can also mean job or function. It is the role of the police to keep the community safe, and political parties often argue about the role government should play in our lives. Roles can also be played by things. You can say that computers play an increasing role in our day-to-day lives and that the role of a hat is to keep your head warm. You look up to your role model because of the important role that they play in influencing others' lives.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

role roles

Charalampos Kostoulas: Played a key role in Brighton's first goal after seeing an initial effort saved, but struggled to provide a consistent threat.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Based in The Hague, the ICC was created in 1998 to cement the role of international law in punishing the worst human rights abuses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

The immunotherapy company had no role in designing the study, collecting or analyzing the data, or presenting the results.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

Caltech will play a leading role in managing Roman’s scientific operations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

“In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it.”

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Quinta Brunson’s scraping schoolteacher Janine Teagues in “Abbott Elementary” hopes to grow into the roles modeled by classroom veterans before rent and bills push her out of the profession.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

“You just have to have an automatic filter,” says Shannon Leiro, who is part of the wave of millennials moving into leadership roles with evolving standards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

But the other eight people were still employed, he says, in roles where they interacted with customers, and advertised the pizza around the stadium.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

That would have allowed them to serve several ecological roles, including acting as decomposers and consumers in environments where aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems met.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

It’s the same corner where there’s a little market perfect for buying bottles of orange juice and roles de canela, cinnamon rolls packaged in bright pink wrappers featuring a white bear wearing a baker’s hat.

From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez

Related Words

• act
• appearance
• aspect
• character
• part
• performance
• portrayal