roster

American  

[ros-ter] / ˈrɒs tər /

noun

rosters plural

1. a list of persons or groups, as of military personnel or units with their turns or periods of duty.

   Synonyms:

   record, panel, slate, listing

2. any list, roll, or register.

   a roster of famous scientists; a roster of coming events.

   Synonyms:

   record, panel, slate, listing

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roster ¹ British  

/ ˈrɒstə /

noun

1. a list or register, esp one showing the order of people enrolled for duty

2. marketing the list of advertising agencies regularly used by a particular company

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verb

1. (tr) to place on a roster

roster ² British  

/ ˈrɒstə /

noun

1. dialect a rascal

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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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• rosters
  plural

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

Explanation

If you see your name on the roster of players for the new softball team, then congratulations! Better start practicing, because you’re on the list of players who made the team. The word roster originally meant a list of the names, duties, and schedule of members of the military. That meaning is still in use, but today, a roster is more likely to be a list of players on your favorite team, a list of artists whose artwork appears regularly in a certain gallery, or a list of participants, such as an airline that posts its roster of flight crew members for the red-eye to Phoenix.

Example Sentences

After missing the tournament entirely eight years ago in Russia, it turned over the roster and built around a young core it hoped would mature together over the next decade.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026

The U.S. squad is different in ways that go far beyond the roster.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2026

Can the team do the same with the major league roster?

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2026

And, as it turns out, Hawk and Pína might not have the whole roster, either; they’re just more adept at acting as though they do.

From Salon • Jul. 5, 2026

Would it not behoove the Department of Homeland Security to add a name to their roster of dangerous individuals?

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Related Words

• agenda
• inventory
• record
• schedule
• table