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Synonyms

roster

American  
[ros-ter] / ˈrɒs tər /

noun

  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

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to place on a roster

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
roster 2 British  
/ ˈrɒstə /

noun

  1. dialect a rascal

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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