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

See Examples For:

roster rosters

Cam Lampkin intercepted and broke up passes during training camp and appeared positioned for a shot at moving from the practice squad to the roster.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

The decision for Headingley and Old Trafford to miss out on the 2027 Ashes roster was announced in 2023.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

NFL practice-squad players are part of the reserve roster who train with the team during the week, but do not play in regular-season games.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

But he did allow parents to be notified of any student requests to change school records; for example, if a student requested to be known by a different name on a class roster.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

He keeps on his computer a roster of 1,600 names and addresses, and on each entry is a note describing the circumstances under which he met the person.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

They miraculously win a ton of games in spite of microscopic budgets and rosters largely devoid of household names.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

On social media, sports rosters, email and restaurant bookings, she was Hannah Leonard, sharing her surname with her mother.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

But it’s head-spinning for fans, with team rosters changing from year to year as transfers come and go.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Leave captain Tim Ream, 38, out of the equation and only Ivory Coast and Ecuador have younger rosters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

Something else I couldn’t find: complete Negro League team rosters.

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone

Related Words

• agenda
• inventory
• record
• schedule
• table