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“Roles” or “Rolls”

roles / rolls are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term.

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Definitions

What each term means

Same sound, different spellings and meanings, shown with a pronunciation guide for each term.

roles r·OW·l·z

  • nounnormal or customary activity of a person in a particular social setting.

rolls r·OW·l·z

  • nouna list of names.
  • nounphotographic film rolled up inside a container to protect it from light.
  • nounanything rolled up in cylindrical form.
  • nounwalking with a swaying gait.
  • nouna flight maneuver; aircraft rotates about its longitudinal axis without changing direction or losing altitude.
  • nounthe act of rolling something (as the ball in bowling).
  • verbmove by turning over or rotating.
  • verboccur in soft rounded shapes.
  • verbemit, produce, or utter with a deep prolonged reverberating sound.
  • verbbegin operating or running.
  • verbshape by rolling.
  • verbexecute a roll, in tumbling.
  • verbmove in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion.
  • verbmove about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment.
  • verbmove, rock, or sway from side to side.
  • verbcause to move by turning over or in a circular manner of as if on an axis.
  • verbpronounce with a roll, of the phoneme /r/.
  • verbtake the shape of a roll or cylinder.
  • verbshow certain properties when being rolled.
Usage

Examples in context

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

“roles”

  • …in both leadership and advisory roles.
  • …and Kabelan Verlkumar in lead roles.
  • Roles associated with television news include…
  • This model represents the roles the id, ego, and super-…
  • …this rare reversal of photographic roles are candid, extraordinarily wrenching and…
  • …to receive more substantial, credited roles in releases by smaller production…
  • His largest roles were in "The Ci-Kat-A" and…
  • …and Alec Baldwin in supporting roles.
  • Roles and responsibilities
  • …often hired for general counsel roles at prominent companies.

“rolls”

  • In this game, Mr. Papi rolls down a hill and you…
  • Honor Rolls of Baseball (1946) (managers, executives,…
  • …asked Zhang to review the rolls of Sun's subordinates to see…
  • …Stephen King: A Biography Albert Rolls Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated
  • …the Army eliminated from its rolls those OH-58D Kiowa Warrior units…
  • …a joke, and its member rolls are riddled with porn bots.
  • …contribution to the birth of rock.
  • …was adopted, after printing from rolls of paper instead of sheets…
  • …first attested in the Subsidy Rolls of 1332, where it appears…
  • …career as Marketing Manager for Rolls Royce Nuclear Engineering and then…

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions are drawn from WordNet.

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