n.1 a a hard revolving cylinder for smoothing the ground, spreading ink or paint, crushing or stamping, rolling up cloth on, hanging a towel on, etc., used alone or as a rotating part of a machine. b a cylinder for diminishing friction when moving a heavy object.
2 a small cylinder on which hair is rolled for setting.
3 a long swelling wave.
4 (also roller bandage) a long surgical bandage rolled up for convenient application.
5 a kind of tumbler-pigeon.
6 a any brilliantly plumaged bird of the family Coraciidae, with characteristic tumbling display-flight. b a breed of canary with a trilling song.
Phrases and idioms:
roller bearing a bearing like a ball-bearing but with small cylinders instead of balls. roller-coaster n. a switchback at a fair etc.
--adj. that goes up and down, or changes, suddenly and repeatedly.
--v.intr. (or roller-coast) go up and down or change in this way. roller-skate see SKATE(1). roller-skater a person who roller-skates. roller towel a towel with the ends joined, hung on a roller.