roller

¹ American  

[roh-ler] / ˈroʊ lər /

noun

1. a person or thing that rolls.

2. a cylinder, wheel, caster, or the like, upon which something is rolled along.

3. a cylindrical body, revolving on a fixed axis, especially one to facilitate the movement of something passed over or around it.

4. a cylindrical object upon which something is rolled up.

   the roller of a window shade.

5. a hollow, cylindrical object of plastic, stiff net, or the like, upon which hair is rolled up for setting.

6. a cylindrical body for rolling over something to be spread out, leveled, crushed, smoothed, compacted, impressed, inked, etc.

7. any of various other revolving cylindrical bodies, as the barrel of a music box.

8. Metalworking. a person in charge of a rolling mill.

9. a long, swelling wave advancing steadily.

   Synonyms:

   comber, breaker

10. a rolled bandage.

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roller ² American  

[roh-ler] / ˈroʊ lər /

noun

Ornithology.

1. any of several Old World birds of the family Coraciidae that tumble or roll over in flight, especially in the breeding season.

2. tumbler.

3. one of a variety of canaries having a warbling or trilling song.

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roller British  

/ ˈrəʊlə /

noun

1. a cylinder having an absorbent surface and a handle, used for spreading paint

2. Also called: garden roller.  a heavy cast-iron cylinder or pair of cylinders on an axle to which a handle is attached; used for flattening lawns

3. a long heavy wave of the sea, advancing towards the shore Compare breaker 1

4. a hardened cylinder of precision-ground steel that forms one of the rolling components of a roller bearing or of a linked driving chain

5. a cylinder fitted on pivots, used to enable heavy objects to be easily moved; castor

6. printing a cylinder, usually of hard rubber, used to ink a forme or plate before impression

7. a cylindrical tube or barrel onto which material is rolled for transport or storage

8. any of various other cylindrical devices that rotate about a cylinder, used for any of various purposes

9. a small cylinder, esp one that is heated, onto which a woman's hair may be rolled to make it curl

10. med a bandage consisting of a long strip of muslin or cheesecloth rolled tightly into a cylindrical form before application

11. a band fastened around a horse's belly to keep a blanket in position

12. any of various Old World birds of the family Coraciidae , such as Coracias garrulus ( European roller ), that have a blue, green, and brown plumage, a slightly hooked bill, and an erratic flight: order Coraciiformes (kingfishers, etc)

13. (often capital) a variety of tumbler pigeon that performs characteristic backward somersaults in flight

14. a breed of canary that has a soft trilling song in which the notes are run together

15. a person or thing that rolls

16. a man who rolls and trims fleeces after shearing

17. short for roadroller steamroller

18. short for roller caption

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Etymology

Origin of roller¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; roll ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Origin of roller¹

First recorded in 1675–85; from German Roller, derivative of rollen to roll

Example Sentences

A rare natural phenomenon called snow rollers - which almost resemble hay bales made of snow - have been spotted on the islands.

From BBC

After a roller coaster year, the domestic box office is expected to finish only marginally better than last year and remains down more than 20% from pre-pandemic levels.

From Los Angeles Times

When it finally arrives in theaters, I’ll be strapping on my rocket-powered roller skates to get there as quick as possible.

From Los Angeles Times

Wembanyama later returned to sit on the bench and celebrated with teammates as the Spurs closed out a roller coaster victory that sees them improve to 24-9 and remain second in the Western Conference.

From Barron's

“It’s the natural roller coaster of any product that does well,” said veteran audiobook narrator Rich Miller.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• crest
• flood
• influx
• movement
• outbreak
• rash
• rush
• sign
• stream
• surge
• swell
• tide
• upsurge