roly-poly

adjective

ˌrō-lē-ˈpō-lē How to pronounce roly-poly (audio)
Definition of roly-polynext
as in plump
having an excess of body fat a roly-poly baby who grew into a slender child

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of roly-poly Something, oh, like a roly-poly, 73-year-old manager tumbling ass over teakettle, as the old-timers say, when a bat thrown by Vladimir Guerrero clipped his left hip. — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 13 July 2026 The roly-poly robot named after a mythological many-eyed giant has depth-sensing cameras attached to 20 telescoping legs that radiate from a central core. — Allen Breed, Fortune, 28 May 2026 This roly-poly robot will be holding thousands of small drones, or dandelion drones, within. — Tom Brown, Space.com, 25 May 2026 The lounge’s furniture had been softened with curvy sofas and roly-poly club chairs, but that sensation of floating above the city felt familiar. — Chris Schalkx, Travel + Leisure, 16 Dec. 2025 Regardless of what they’re called, most people know exactly what an armadillo looks like, with its roly-poly armored form and weird shuffling walk. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roly-poly
  1. plump
  2. fat
  3. round
Adjective
  • Purchasing Fresh Corn In The Husk To pick out your fresh corn still in the husk, start by giving the ear of corn a gentle squeeze to feel for plump kernels and avoid husks with brown holes, a sign of worms.
    — Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2026
  • It can even be injected or taken as a supplement, though is most commonly found in moisturizers and serums to lock in hydration, plump, and smooth fine lines.
    — Ellie Davis, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of plump
Adjective
  • Conversely, someone with a BMI in the normal range could have lost considerable muscle while retaining excess body fat.
    — Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Dual-piston hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors handle stopping duties, an important part of controlling a large fat-tire e-bike in traffic or on a downhill section.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of fat
Adjective
  • The artful styling revealed a peek of her round black strapless bra.
    — Meg Walters, InStyle, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Specifically in dress, rounder toes are trending; a refreshing alternative to the almond shape that has dominated for the past few seasons.
    — Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of round

Browse Nearby Words

roll up
roly-poly
romance
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Roly-poly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roly-poly. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All