Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1600-1700
Language: French
Origin: rôle 'roll, role', from Old French rolle; ROLL2

role

 noun
     
Related topics: Film, Theatre
role W3 [countable]
1 the way in which someone or something is involved in an activity or situation, and how much influence they have on itCOLLOCATIONS COLLOCATIONS
have/play a role in (doing) something an important/key/vital/crucial role a leading/major/central role an active role a dual role (=two functions) take a role
role in
the role of diet in the prevention of disease
Everyone had a role in the show's success.
Scientists can also play a role in improving energy efficiency in their laboratories.
Parents play an important role in their child's learning.
His interest in education was reflected in his active role in founding University College, Liverpool.
The state has a dual role: to support business on the one hand and to be the guardian of social welfare on the other.
a student who has taken a leadership role in battling racism on campus
2AMFAPT the character played by an actor in a play or film [= part]:
Matthews plays the role of a young doctor suspected of murder.
a minor/major role
Costner only plays a minor role in the movie.
the lead/leading/starring role (=the most important role)
Rigby was cast in the leading role.
title role (=the role of the character whose name is in the title of a film or play)
'Martin Chuzzlewit' features Paul Scofield in the title role.
3

role reversal

a situation in which two people, especially a man and a woman, each do what is traditionally expected of the other
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary