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.
The diplomatic dispute arises from the ambiguous role that Rwanda, best known to many Americans for the 1994 genocide, now plays as a regional strongman.
They have helped the Bruins understand their role on the court, take care of the ball and be more confident.
From Los Angeles Times
Shortly after taking on the role in 2021, his unilingualism made headlines when he struggled to answer a reporter's question in French.
From BBC
And beyond his outsize presence on the course, Woods has played a leading role reshaping the PGA Tour while it prepares to undergo significant change.
The company had been working on EVs for years before they started to take off, and it played an important role in developing Ford’s electric Focus more than a decade ago.
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.
