role
Americannoun
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a part or character played by an actor or actress.
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proper or customary function.
the role of religion in society.
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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.
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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.
noun
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a part or character in a play, film, etc, to be played by an actor or actress
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psychol the part played by a person in a particular social setting, influenced by his expectation of what is appropriate
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usual or customary function
what is his role in the organization?
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.
Since he ascended to the top role just 17 months ago, Lam has enthusiastically pursued an anti-corruption drive, thinned and streamlined bureaucracy, and accelerated infrastructure investment in reforms officials describe as a "revolution".
From Barron's
It’s a role that’s become more prevalent in recent years as more schools have involved themselves with millions of dollars in NIL money.
From MarketWatch
It may be formulaic conflict creation, but the scenes at the camp, in which each character slips into his role among the flotsam-to-be, are as honest and convincing as anything Mr. Roache-Turner gives us.
Playing opposites, Mr. Fiennes and Mr. O’Connell are excitingly charismatic in the lead roles, and as each pursues his separate path the movie keeps the audience guessing about how they will meet.
The FDA website still contains summaries of the removed webpages, but the links to them reroute to a landing page describing the agency’s regulatory role.
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.
