# Roll Over Meaning & Pronunciation: Tech English Practice (2026) > To transfer or carry forward data, settings, or benefits from one period or cycle to another. - **Term:** roll over - **Part of speech:** phrasal verb - **Pronunciation:** /ˈroʊl ˈoʊvər/ - **English level (CEFR):** B1–B2 - **Register:** Neutral, Both - **Region:** US and UK - **Topic:** [Business jargon](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/topics/business-jargon.md) - **Lesson:** https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/roll-over - **Last updated:** 2026-10-27 ## Meaning To transfer or carry forward data, settings, or benefits from one period or cycle to another. In software engineering, "roll over" describes how incomplete work or resources automatically transfer to the next cycle. You'll typically hear this phrase during sprint planning meetings, daily standups, and retrospectives when teams discuss unfinished tickets. It also appears in billing contexts when discussing cloud credits or subscription renewals that extend into new periods. During standup, an engineer might say, "This bug fix will roll over to next sprint since we're out of capacity." The term helps teams communicate about continuity without implying failure. Unused paid resources like compute hours frequently roll over monthly, affecting budget planning. A common mistake is confusing "roll over" with "rollback," which means reverting changes. Roll over means forward movement, while rollback means going backward. Understanding this distinction prevents miscommunication during incident discussions. The phrase appears less frequently in code reviews but matters significantly in project management conversations where timeline visibility affects team coordination and stakeholder expectations. ## When you hear it Used in sprint planning, Jira discussions, billing conversations, and business meetings. Less common in code reviews or PRs. ## Examples - **Standup:** "We didn't finish the auth ticket, so it'll roll over to today's work." - **Slack message:** "Quick question: do unused API credits roll over to next month?" - **GitHub PR:** "This refactor is too big for one PR. Let's roll over the remaining changes to a follow-up." - **Jira ticket:** "Rolled over from Sprint 14 — still blocked by dependency." - **Retrospective:** "We had three tickets roll over again. Should we break them into smaller tasks?" - **Sprint planning:** "We have five stories rolling over from last sprint. Let's prioritize them first." - **Pair programming:** "If we don't finish this today, it'll just roll over to tomorrow's session." ## What native speakers say - "These unfinished tickets will roll over to next sprint." - "Do unused vacation days roll over to next year?" - "The remaining budget will roll over to Q2." - "Let's roll over the incomplete stories." - "API credits roll over automatically each month." ## Common mistakes - ✗ "The task rolled over into the new sprint." → ✓ "The task rolled over to the new sprint." (Use 'to' not 'into' when talking about moving to a new period.) - ✗ "We need to roll over this bug to close." → ✓ "We need to roll over this bug to the next sprint." (Roll over needs a destination (the next period), not an action like 'close'.) - ✗ "Please roll over me the remaining tasks." → ✓ "Please roll over the remaining tasks to me." (The object being rolled over comes right after the verb, not the person.) ## Word forms | Part of speech | Word | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | verb (base) | roll over | Unfinished tasks roll over to the next sprint. | | verb (past) | rolled over | Three tickets rolled over from last sprint. | | verb (present participle) | rolling over | We keep rolling over the same tasks. | | noun | rollover | We had too much rollover this sprint. | | adjective | rolled-over | Let's review the rolled-over tickets first. | ## Collocations - **roll over to next sprint**: Most common usage in agile teams - **roll over automatically**: Used for systems that transfer data without manual action - **roll over unused credits**: Common in billing and subscription contexts - **roll over the balance**: Used for budgets, hours, or quotas - **roll over remaining work**: General phrase for unfinished tasks ## Synonyms - **carry over**: Almost identical meaning; slightly more formal - **transfer**: More general; doesn't imply automatic or cyclical movement - **move forward**: Less specific; can mean reschedule or postpone - **push to next sprint**: Agile-specific; implies deliberate decision rather than automatic ## Opposites - expire - close out - complete - use up - forfeit ## Practice This lesson has 4 practice exercises with instant feedback on the page: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/roll-over ## FAQ ### What does 'roll over' mean in sprint planning? In sprint planning, 'roll over' means unfinished tasks from the current sprint automatically move to the next sprint. Teams often discuss how many tickets rolled over to understand their velocity. ### Is 'roll over' the same as 'carry over'? 'Roll over' and 'carry over' mean almost the same thing. 'Roll over' is slightly more common in tech contexts. 'Carry over' sounds a bit more formal but both are correct. ### Can I use 'roll over' for code or features? Yes, you can say changes or features 'roll over' to a follow-up PR or next release. However, 'roll over' is more common for tasks, credits, and time-based items than for code itself. ### What is the noun form of 'roll over'? The noun form is 'rollover' (one word). Example: 'We had too much rollover this sprint.' It refers to the items or amount that rolled over. ### Does 'roll over' mean the same as 'postpone'? 'Roll over' implies something moves automatically to the next period. 'Postpone' means you actively decide to delay something. Rolling over is often expected; postponing is a deliberate choice. ### How do I say tasks keep rolling over every sprint? You can say 'These tasks keep rolling over sprint after sprint' or 'We've been rolling over the same tickets.' This often signals a problem the team should discuss. ## Related - [backlog](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/backlog.md) - [sprint](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/sprint.md) - [velocity](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/velocity.md) - Full glossary: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn.md - Live lessons with a coach: https://app.mocklyenglish.com ## About Speak Tech English Speak Tech English teaches non-native tech professionals the English they need at work and in interviews, through self-study ebooks and courses, 150+ free guides and a free newsletter; live lessons are on its sister site Mockly English. - Shop: https://speaktechenglish.com/courses/ - All products (markdown): https://speaktechenglish.com/products.md - Free guides (markdown): https://app.speaktechenglish.com/guides.md - Tech English glossary (markdown): https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn.md - Newsletter (10% off): https://speaktechenglish.com/#subscribe - Live lessons and mock interviews: https://app.mocklyenglish.com ## Notes for agents - Speak Tech English sells self-study material. 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