roll-up
noun
Also rollup something, as a carpet or window shade, that can be rolled up when not in use.
roll-up
American
[rohl-uhp]
/ ˈroʊlˌʌp /
noun
-
roll-ups
plural
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Also rollup something, as a carpet or window shade, that can be rolled up when not in use.
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Informal. an increase, as in value or cost.
roll up
British
verb
-
to form or cause to form a cylindrical shape
-
(tr) to wrap (an object) round on itself or on an axis
to roll up a map
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informal (intr) to arrive, esp in a vehicle
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(intr) to proceed or develop
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(intr) to assemble; congregate
noun
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informal a cigarette made by hand from loose tobacco and cigarette paper
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(in the 19th century) a mass meeting of workers on an issue of common concern
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archaic the attendance at any fixture
they had a good roll-up
roll up
Idioms
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Accumulate, as in He rolled up a fortune in commodity trading , or She rolled up a huge number of votes in this district . [Mid-1800s]
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Arrive in a vehicle, as in They rolled up in a taxi at exactly eight o'clock .
Usage
What does roll-up mean? A roll-up is something that can be easily rolled into a cylinder, such as a rug or a window shade. Informally, a roll-up is also an increase, such as with a roll-up cost. Roll-up can also be spelled rollup. Roll up means to wrap an object around itself or on an axis, as with a map. Informally, roll up can also mean to arrive, especially in a vehicle. Example: Roll up that blanket and throw it in the picnic basket.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of roll-up
First recorded in 1745–55; noun use of verb phrase roll up
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.
See Examples For:
The roll-up doors will allow cars to be driven inside and a wall of high-resolution LED panels will project backgrounds in real-time 3-D environments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Critics say it shows the dangers of the so-called roll-up strategy, in which a buyer—often a private-equity firm—acquires and merges many small competing companies into a single large one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The roll-up strategy was starting to come undone, and roll-ups typically don’t work well in reverse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
When police opened the roll-up door, they found 21 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels confined inside, several of which were pregnant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
A grocery store down the block is opening its roll-up doors for business as the moon hangs high above this bank up ahead.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
"But as it is coming for those who came before me, our elders and ancestors, we know how to roll up our sleeves and fight. So that's what we're gonna do."
From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026
Fire crews were ordered to roll up their hoses, despite complaints that a more thorough mop-up was needed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
That would be roll up in the case of a call-bull spread or roll down in the case of a bear- put spread.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
“I had tried some Burgundies, but nothing had made my socks roll up and down until I bought this bottle,” says Meadows, who has written a newsletter for 26 years about the region’s wines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
I take it and roll up to standing, using him for balance.
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
Wall Street loves to pay for growth and will probably help fund AI-assisted roll-ups at first.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026
"The FTC will continue to scrutinize and challenge serial acquisitions, roll-ups, and other stealth consolidation schemes that unlawfully undermine fair competition and harm the American public," Khan said in a statement on Thursday.
From Reuters ● Sep. 21, 2023
We were girls who loved puffy stickers, fruit roll-ups, jelly shoes, Madonna bracelets and Cabbage Patch Kids.
From New York Times ● Apr. 27, 2023
The German case, which also involved the arrest of a senior official in the BND, Germany’s foreign intelligence service, followed roll-ups of suspected Russian operatives in the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Poland and Slovenia.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 17, 2023
He was bringin’ out a pile of suit-cases and roll-ups, and pretty soon a taxicab drove up with a man inside.
From The Crevice by Will Grefé
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.
