1 A2 neutral
To turn one's body (or another object) over by rolling.
"She rolled over in bed and looked at the alarm clock."
separable
roll over
B1 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To turn over by rolling; to surrender without resistance; or (finance) to extend a loan, debt, or investment for another term.
In plain English
To turn onto your side or back by rolling, OR to give up without fighting, OR to extend money arrangements.
What does "roll over" mean?
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic informal
To surrender or submit without putting up a fight.
"The union accused the management of just rolling over whenever the board made demands."
3 C1 idiomatic formal
(Finance) To extend the term of a loan, investment, or contract rather than paying it off.
"He decided to roll over his fixed-rate bond for another twelve months."
separable
4 B2 idiomatic neutral
(Of a lottery jackpot) to carry over to the next draw because no one has won.
"The jackpot has rolled over three times, so this week it's worth £18 million."
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To roll so as to turn one's body over — fully transparent for the physical sense.
Actually means
To turn onto your side or back by rolling, OR to give up without fighting, OR to extend money arrangements.
Usage tip
The 'surrender' sense is often used critically — 'the government just rolled over' implies weak capitulation. The financial sense ('roll over a mortgage', 'rollover lottery') is very common. In computing, a 'rollover' is a hover effect. Also used as a command to dogs. The jackpot 'rolls over' when no winner is found.
Words that pair with "roll over"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
mortgage loan debt jackpot side back dog government deadline
How to conjugate "roll over"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
roll over
I/you/we/they
3rd person
rolls over
he/she/it
Past simple
rolled over
yesterday
Past participle
rolled over
have + pp
-ing form
rolling over
continuous
Hear "roll over" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "roll over" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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