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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

role

/ɹoʊl/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does role mean?

noun

  1. A character or part played by a performer or actor.
  2. The expected behaviour of an individual in a society.
  3. The function or position of something.
More meanings (4)

noun

  1. Designation that denotes an associated set of responsibilities, knowledge, skills, or privileges
  2. The function of a word in a phrase.
  3. In the Raku programming language, a code element akin to an interface, used for composition of classes without adding to their inheritance chain.
  4. (historical) An ancient unit of quantity, 72 sheets of parchment.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ɹoʊl/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Other dictionary pronunciations

/ɹol/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

The morbid impulse which forces ``zum fabulieren'' is bound up with the desire to play the role of the person depicted.
William Healy; Mary Tenney HealyPathology of Lying, Accusation, and Swindling: A Study in Forensic PsychologyProject Gutenberg ebook #449
These preliminaries were indispensable in order to clearly appreciate the role of machinery and to make plain the series of economic evolutions.
P.-J. (Pierre-Joseph) ProudhonSystem of Economical Contradictions; Or, The Philosophy of MiseryProject Gutenberg ebook #444
More book examples (3)
Just as America's role is indispensable in preserving the world's peace, so is each nation's role indispensable in preserving its own peace.
United States. PresidentsUnited States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches: From Washington to George W. BushProject Gutenberg ebook #925
The school histories, which should emphasize the admirable as well as point out the reverse, have played a poor role in education.
Abraham MyersonThe Foundations of PersonalityProject Gutenberg ebook #1575
The five-year plan seeks to reinvigorate the economy by increasing the role of the private sector, boosting nonoil income, and securing foreign loans.
United States. Central Intelligence AgencyThe 1990 CIA World FactbookProject Gutenberg ebook #14