roster
Americannoun
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a list or register, esp one showing the order of people enrolled for duty
-
marketing the list of advertising agencies regularly used by a particular company
verb
noun
Usage
What does roster mean? A roster is a list or register of people or things. Roster is perhaps most commonly used to refer to the official list of players on a sports team, but it can refer to many other things, including lists of military personnel and lists of academic classes. Example: We have spots on our roster for 26 players.
Etymology
Origin of roster
1720–30; < Dutch rooster list, roster, literally, gridiron, in reference to the ruled paper used, equivalent to roost ( en ) to roast + -er -er 1
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.
Under second-year coach Dusty May, Michigan leaped in the transfer portal—and opened up the NIL checkbook—to assemble a roster worth roughly $10 million.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
Ackman said its management had "done an excellent job nurturing and continuing to build a world-class artist roster and generating strong business performance".
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
It was all part of a roster that cost north of $10 million.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
The Sky said in a statement Monday that the “trade is designed to achieve roster balance and represents a great opportunity for all parties.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
Sergeant Towser brushed away a tear and struck Doc Daneeka’s name from the roster of squadron personnel.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
