rolling

American  

[roh-ling] / ˈroʊ lɪŋ /

noun

1. the action, motion, or sound of anything that rolls.

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adjective

1. moving by revolving or turning over and over.

2. rising and falling in gentle slopes, as land.

   rolling hills.

3. moving in undulating billows, as clouds or waves.

   Jessica felt a peace steal over her as she watched the rolling waves.

4. rocking or swaying from side to side.

   The rolling movement of the train car lulled most of the passengers to sleep.

5. turning or folding over, as a collar.

6. producing a deep, continuous sound.

   rolling thunder.

7. steadily moving onward in a series of stages.

   a rolling program of renovations.

idioms

1. rolling in (something), luxuriating or abounding in (something, especially money).

   As a nonprofit, the Tandy Academy of Music is not exactly rolling in cash.

2. rolling (in the aisles), (of an audience or audience member) convulsed with laughter: Also in the aisles

   Arden had her audience in tears with one song, then rolling in the aisles with her humor.

rolling British  

/ ˈrəʊlɪŋ /

adjective

1. having gentle rising and falling slopes; undulating

   rolling country

2. progressing or spreading by stages or by occurrences in different places in succession, with continued or increasing effectiveness

   three weeks of rolling strikes disrupted schools

3. subject to regular review and updating

   a rolling plan for overseas development

4. deeply resounding; reverberating

   rolling thunder

5. slang extremely rich

6. that may be turned up or down

   a rolling hat brim

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adverb

1. slang swaying or staggering (in the phrase rolling drunk )

Other Word Forms

• rollingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of rolling

First recorded in 1400–50; Late Middle English; see roll, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

Starting Tuesday, Spotify users can listen to more than 650 long-form magazine articles in English from a curated collection of publications including Rolling Stone and The Atlantic.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

Rollins also crossed over to a non-jazz audience with occasional forays into rock, most notably his appearances on The Rolling Stones' 1981 album "Tattoo You."

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

Rita Ora, Rolling Stones star Ronnie Wood and Sir Rod Stewart were among performers marking five decades of the organisation.

From BBC • May 11, 2026

Rolling Stone called the “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” soundtrack “proto-new age mush”; nevertheless, the album brought Diamond his only competitive Grammy, which is obviously insane.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

The door to Harper's office is closed, but we can hear the song "Shattered" by the Rolling Stones playing inside.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

Related Words

• hilly
• undulating