role S2 W1 AC / rəʊl $ roʊl / 名词 [可数名词]

1 the way in which someone or something is involved in an activity or situation, and how much influence they have on it

role in

women’s role in society

the role of diet in the prevention of disease

role of

They want to limit the role of government.

2 the character played by an actor in a play or film 同义词 part

role of

Matthews plays the role of a young doctor suspected of murder.

the lead/leading/starring role (= the most important role )

A young actor named Johnny Depp was given the leading role.

major/minor role

It was Johansson’s first major movie role.

the title role (= the role of the character whose name is in the title of a film or play )

The film features Paul Schofield in the title role.

3 role reversal a situation in which two people, especially a man and a woman, each do what is traditionally expected of the other

COLLOCATIONS

动词

play/have a role He played a prominent role in the company’s success.

take on a role ( also assume a role formal ) (= start having it ) Mr Jones took on the role of spokesperson for the organization.

take a role Britain began to take a more active role in the affairs of Europe.

give somebody a role Health experts should be given a key role in developing the correct procedures.

cast somebody in a role written (= give someone a role, especially one they do not want ) He found himself cast in the role of guide and translator.

形容词

an important/major role She played an important role in her husband’s political career.

a key/central role The report recognized the key role of teachers.

a vital/crucial/essential role Every member of the team has a vital role to play.

an active role (= when you do practical things to achieve particular aims ) She took an active role in the community.

a leading role (= the most important role ) They take a leading role in discussions.

a significant role Technology is already playing a significant role in classroom teaching.

a prominent role The military has played a prominent role in Burmese politics.

a dual role (= when someone or something does two things ) People have dual roles in society as producers and consumers.

sb’s traditional role (= one based on ideas that have existed for a long time, without changing ) Some women are happy with their traditional role as carers.

COLLOCATIONS

动词

play a role She was the first actress to play the role of Peter Pan.

have a role His son has a small role in the series.

take a role In the end, I decided not to take the role.

land a role (= be given a role ) In 1982 he landed a role in the musical ‘Destry Rides Again’.

cast somebody in a role (= give them a role ) Television producers would not cast her in lead roles.

形容词

a major/big role It was his first major role.

a minor/small role He has had small roles in several other films.

the lead/leading role (= the most important role ) He had already cast Tom Hanks in the lead role.

a starring role (= one of the most important roles ) She was offered the starring role in a new British stage comedy.

the title role (= the role of the character whose name is the title of the film or play ) She will play the title role in ‘Emma’ later this year.

a supporting role (= not one of the main roles ) Lee has a supporting role as Judy’s best friend,

a comic role She admits she is attracted to comic roles.