unroll
Americanverb (used with object)
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unrolls,
present (3rd person singular)
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unrolled,
past participle, past
-
unrolling
present participle
-
to open or spread out (something rolled or coiled).
to unroll a bolt of fabric.
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to lay open; display; reveal.
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Obsolete. to strike from a roll or register.
verb (used without object)
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unrolls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unrolled,
past participle, past
-
unrolling
present participle
-
to become unrolled or spread out.
The scrolls unroll easily.
-
to become continuously visible or apparent.
The landscape unrolled before our eyes.
verb
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to open out or unwind (something rolled, folded, or coiled) or (of something rolled, etc) to become opened out or unwound
-
to make or become visible or apparent, esp gradually; unfold
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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unrollsimple
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unrollssimple
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have unrolledperfect
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has unrolledperfect
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am unrollingprogressive
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are unrollingprogressive
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is unrollingprogressive
-
have been unrollingperfect progressive
-
has been unrollingperfect progressive
Past
-
unrolledsimple
-
had unrolledperfect
-
was unrollingprogressive
-
were unrollingprogressive
-
had been unrollingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unroll
First recorded in 1375–1425, unroll is from the late Middle English word unrollen. See un- 2, roll
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.
See Examples For:
"As you unroll it, you can map the letters a lot more clearly."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
Now slice the cylinder open and unroll it to get a flat rectangular sheet.
From Slate ● Jan. 21, 2026
"We have to work out which layer is different from the next layer so we can unroll that digitally," said Dr Mancuso.
From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2025
The intertwining plots unroll in a mishmash of styles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2024
I unroll it across the hood of Mt.
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
Now there's a new threat – drones equipped with a real fibre optic cable which unrolls as they fly.
From BBC ● May 14, 2025
Season 1 of "Gen V" unrolls similarly, with that previously cited incident upending the social hierarchy and thrusting Marie to the top of the campus heap.
From Salon ● Sep. 29, 2023
“This is the turning that unrolls the day, that turns the turns that the seasons obey, and the cycle of years, and the decades.”
From Washington Post ● Sep. 22, 2022
The story unrolls along two, eventually connecting tracks, one leading up to the death of John Paul, and one set in its immediate aftermath, each with its own mysteries and suspense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2022
Hauptmann promises trips to Berlin; he unrolls schematics from an electronics factory in Austria and says, “Several ministries have demonstrated enthusiasm for our project.”
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
That was a more upbeat forecast than the projections published as higher U.S. tariffs were being unrolled in April.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2025
"Around 14 days after germination, we unrolled the paper so that we could observe the early development of the roots without the interference of any soil adhered to them," says Hochholdinger.
From Science Daily ● May 22, 2024
John Wooden’s statue should be recast with the program unrolled and covering his eyes in shame at what his legacy has become.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2024
Ringed by rigid lines of Russian soldiers, the flag is unrolled as a military band plays patriotic music.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2023
She felt a tightness rising in her throat as her future unrolled before her.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
Truslow said the government agency her company works with is unrolling a new process.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Those successes have depended on digitally unrolling CT scans and then using machine learning to detect extremely subtle changes in texture or shape associated with ancient ink.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
"Rolling, unrolling, or hanging it in a new way can cause tearing, stitch loss and distortion of the fabric."
From Barron's ● Jan. 15, 2026
"Rolling, unrolling or handling it in a new way can cause damage."
From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2026
And a rock in the middle of the stream, unrolling itself into a forest troll, its heavy eyes blinking ever so slowly.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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.
