Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

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
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

"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

verb

  1. (tr) to place on a roster

"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
roster 2 British  
/ ˈrɒstə /

noun

  1. dialect a rascal

"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

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

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

Wilkinson sees her stacked roster of current listings as proof that learning the real estate ropes and sticking with it is finally paying off.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

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

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

Bronny James has shown his value to the Lakers at an important time, confirming he isn’t on the roster solely to appease his father, LeBron James.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026

And it wasn’t fair to ask the remaining players to play an entire season with a short roster and no substitutes.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John

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.