Roll means to move by turning over and over, like a ball rolling down a hill or a log rolling across the ground. When you roll down a grassy slope at the park, your body spins sideways as gravity pulls you along. Bakers roll out dough with a rolling pin, flattening it by pushing a cylinder back and forth across it.

The word also describes turning something into a cylinder shape. You might roll up a sleeping bag for camping, or roll a poster to fit it in a tube. When you roll your eyes at your little brother's joke, you're rotating your eyeballs upward in exasperation.

In games, rolling dice means tossing them so they tumble and land showing random numbers. A roll can also be a small, rounded piece of bread, or a list of names (like when a teacher takes roll at the beginning of class to see who's present).

When things are rolling, they're progressing smoothly and steadily. If your science project is really rolling along, it means you're making great progress. The phrase roll with the punches means adapting to difficulties and adjusting your approach, like a boxer who moves with an opponent's punch to reduce the impact.