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

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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.

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

In today’s information-saturated environment, Rosales said, the race and its roster of “extremely milquetoast candidates” didn’t break through to voters until scandal erupted.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

The current Knicks roster has also captivated him, Mamdani said, singling out the relentless intensity of forward Josh Hart, “It is in many ways a reflection of New York City hustle,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

The Miami Marlins, meanwhile, are spending just over $80 million on their roster, according to data from Spotrac.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

Soccer staged a rally Tuesday to introduce the 26 members of the Americans’ World Cup roster.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026

She glanced at him a second or two longer than I thought was necessary and then went back to her attendance roster.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Related Words

• agenda
• inventory
• record
• schedule
• table