# role

/ˈɹoʊɫ/ (US) · /ɹˈəʊl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/role
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. acting/performance

noun · CEFR A2

the character that an actor plays in a film, play, or television show.

For teachers: a character or part portrayed by a performer in a dramatic production.

- She got the lead role in the school play after a great audition.
- The actor spent months researching the historical figure to ensure his portrayal of the role was both accurate and emotionally resonant.

### 2. function or purpose

noun · CEFR B1 · Academic

the job or purpose that someone or something has in a particular situation.

For teachers: the function, position, or purpose of an individual or object within a specific context or system.

- Parents play a very important role in their children's education.
- The central bank plays a critical role in maintaining economic stability by adjusting interest rates in response to inflation data.

### 3. social behavior

noun · CEFR B2 · Academic

the way a person is expected to behave in a society or group.

For teachers: the set of expected behaviours, obligations, and norms associated with a particular social status.

- Traditional gender roles have changed significantly over the last fifty years.
- Sociologists study how individuals navigate conflicting roles when their professional obligations clash with their personal identities.

### 4. grammar

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the job a word does in a sentence, like being the subject or the object.

For teachers: the syntactic or semantic function of a linguistic element within a phrase or clause.

- In this sentence, the noun 'dog' has the role of the subject.
- The professor explained how the same noun phrase can fulfill different semantic roles depending on the voice of the verb.

Usage: Often used with 'thematic' or 'grammatical'.

### 5. computing/permissions

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a set of permissions given to a user in a computer system.

For teachers: a designation in a system that carries a specific set of privileges, access rights, or responsibilities.

- You need to be assigned the 'admin' role to change the website settings.
- The system administrator implemented role-based access control to ensure that sensitive data was only visible to authorised personnel.

## Examples

- She has a very important role in our team.
- The manager explained that my role involves checking the budget and writing weekly reports for the board.
- While the primary role of the committee is advisory, its members often exert significant influence over the final legislative draft through informal consultations.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.