English Reference
Idiom idiom

roll up on


To sneak up to (someone or something) with the intention of causing harm.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

“He tried to roll up on me from behind.”

CONTEXTUAL

“The group saw the rival gang roll up on them in the dark parking lot.”

COMPLEX

“The security footage captured the masked intruders as they attempted to roll up on the unsuspecting guard near the warehouse entrance.”


From the verb phrase *roll up* + the preposition *on*. The term is semantically and morphologically parallel with the construction *roll up* + *to*.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    call roll

    To make a roll call; to take attendance.

  2. 02

    dice roll

    Something unpredictable or unexpected.

  3. 03

    heads will roll

    Some people will be fired for incompetence.

  4. 04

    ready to roll

    Of a person, machine, vehicle, or plan, fully prepared to begin functioning and operating.

  5. 05

    roll back the years

    To produce a sense of nostalgia.

  6. 06

    roll in the aisles

    To laugh uproariously.

  7. 07

    roll in wealth

    To be very rich.

  8. 08

    roll of the dice

    A risky or uncertain attempt to do something, especially in an unfavourable situation.

Last updated August 10, 2026