English Reference
noun · verb

roster

n. · v.
US /ˈɹɑstɝ/ UK /ɹˈɒstɐ/ ros·ter UK spelling rosters

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    n.a list of people who belong to a specific group, like a sports team, a military unit, or a class of students.

    n.a list of individuals or groups enrolled in a particular organization, such as a sports team's active players or a military muster roll.

    Simple

    The coach added two new players to the team roster before the big game.

    In context

    The university registrar updated the class roster to include students who had recently transferred from the evening programme.

  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate British English

    n.a plan that shows which people are working at which times.

    n.a schedule or timetable specifying the shift times and assigned duties for each employee within a business.

    Simple

    I need to check the work roster to see if I am working this Saturday.

    In context

    The hospital administrator revised the nursing roster to ensure adequate coverage during the holiday weekend.

  3. 03 C1 Advanced Technical Math

    n.a list of numbers or items written inside brackets to show what is in a set.

    n.a bracketed list that explicitly enumerates every element contained within a mathematical set.

    Simple

    In math class, we wrote the set of even numbers as a roster.

    In context

    The student was asked to represent the set of prime numbers less than twenty using roster notation.

    Usage

    Often used in the phrase 'roster notation'.

  4. 04 B2 Upper Intermediate

    v.to put someone's name on an official list or schedule.

    v.to place a person's name on a roster or to assign an individual to a specific shift or duty list.

    Simple

    The manager will roster you for the morning shift next week.

    In context

    The department head decided to roster the senior engineers for the weekend maintenance window to ensure the system remained stable.

    removedelist

Borrowed from Dutch rooster (“gridiron, table, list”), from Middle Dutch roosten (“to roast”). More at roast.

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

This entry
Origin dum roosten
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Common
Updated