roll over

Meanings

1. 1phraseintransitive

   To turn the body from one side onto the other while lying down.

   Grammar: No object; often used for people or animals in bed or on the ground.

   Patterns

   • roll over in bed
   • roll over onto something
   • roll over and do something

   The baby learned to roll over last week.

   I rolled over and checked the time on my phone.

2. 2phrasetransitive or intransitivefinancebusiness

   To extend a loan, contract, unused balance, or payment deadline into a later period.

   Grammar: Can take an object in finance, or be used without an object when the amount extends automatically.

   Patterns

   • roll over a loan
   • roll over funds
   • roll over into the next year

   The bank agreed to roll over the loan for six months.

   Unused vacation days roll over into January.

3. 3phrasetransitivefinance

   To shift money from one investment or account into another without taking it as cash.

   Grammar: Common with retirement money; takes an account or funds as the object.

   Patterns

   • roll over a retirement account
   • roll over savings
   • roll over into an IRA

   She rolled her old retirement account into a new plan.

   He asked whether he could roll over the pension without penalties.

Common combinations

roll over in bed

He rolled over in bed and pulled up the blanket.

roll over a debt

They could not roll over the debt at the same interest rate.

roll over funds

The program lets unused funds roll over each quarter.

roll over an account

Workers often roll over an account when they change jobs.

Synonyms and how they differ

renew

Renew is more general and can apply to licenses or subscriptions; roll over suggests carrying an existing balance forward.

extend

Extend means lengthen time; roll over implies moving an obligation or amount into a new period.

transfer

Transfer fits moving money between accounts, but roll over often suggests tax or contract treatment.

Opposites

Word family

rollover noun

An act of rolling over, or a financial amount carried forward.

rolling adjective

Moving continuously or happening over successive periods.

Commonly confused: roll over or rollover?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “roll over”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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