on a roll

Idioms  

1. On a streak of success or intense activity, as in The team's scored three runs in the last inning and they're really on a roll, or Once the experiment succeeded, Tim was on a roll. This slangy term, alluding to the momentum in the act of rolling, dates from the second half of the 1900s, but roll alone has been used in this sense since the early 1800s.

---

Example Sentences

Robert Coover’s novel of sports obsession invites readers into a baseball drama in which everything depends on a roll of the dice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Vita Coco has been on a roll, and will be again soon.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

"Becca played absolutely fantastically - we all did - but it's great to see Becca when she's like that and I'm sure she'll be on a roll now," Jackson added.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

The stock had been on a roll in 2026, as the 1.3% decline on Monday snapped a seven-session wining streak to close Friday at a record high.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 10, 2026

That was enough explanation, really, but Dad was on a roll.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon