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Synonyms

role

American  
[rohl] / roʊl /
Rarely rôle

noun

  1. a part or character played by an actor or actress.

  2. proper or customary function.

    the role of religion in society.
    Synonyms:
    duty, responsibility, position, function, capacity, part, character

  3. the function assumed by a person or thing in a given action or process.

    Schools offer few practical tools to help students explore their role in shaping the future.

  4. Sociology. the rights, obligations, and expected behavior patterns associated with a particular social status.

    When studying child development, it was critical to study the father's role.
role British  
/ rəʊl /

noun

  1. a part or character in a play, film, etc, to be played by an actor or actress

  2. psychol the part played by a person in a particular social setting, influenced by his expectation of what is appropriate

  3. usual or customary function

    what is his role in the organization?
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • multirole adjective

Etymology

Origin of role

First recorded in 1600–10; from French rôle “roll (of paper containing the actor's part)”; roll

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.