The Meaning of Roger That: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of roger that? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word roger that, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What does the term roger that mean?

According to Collins English Dictionary, BAA Training, and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the term roger that is actually an acronym used in the military from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). ROGER stands for Received Order Given, Expect Results. This term is used in radio communication and radio transmissions by pilots and other people in aviation. A person will say roger that via radio communication when they are confirming that they have received an order. This is so that the person giving the rider can confirm they have received and will execute said order. If there is radio silence, the order given might ask if they copy. If not, further action will be taken. 

Over time, people also started using the Morse code letter for R to mean Roger instead of received. This slang was made famous in radio transmissions by NASA’s Apollo Missions, but was used much earlier in WWII via radio signal. This military terminology was used on some of the first flights in the aviation industry and is still used in the US military by a radio operator via two-way radio communications nowadays. This radio voice procedure makes for an easier commend, assertion and communication. This procedural word in American military communications, along with other terms like mayday, hand signals, and letters in the international phonetic alphabet, are key for communicating in an efficient manner via radio conversations – no complete radio silence here. 

What are other terms used in the military? What is the military alphabet?

According to Business Balls and Military, the military has a very specific set of terms that are used for communication. These terms along with the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) phonetic alphabet are listed below. This is the current spelling alphabet, not to cause confusion with the WWII phonetic alphabet: Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, Fox, George, How, Item, Jig, King, Love, Mike, Nan, Oboe, Peter, Queen, Roger, Sugar, Tare, Uncle, Victor, William, X-ray, Yoke, Zebra.

  •  A – Alpha
  •  B – Bravo
  •  C – Charlie
  •  D – Delta
  •  E – Echo
  •  F – Foxtrot
  •  G – Golf
  •  H – Hotel
  •  I – India
  •  J – Juliet
  •  K – Kilo
  •  L – Lima
  •  M – Mike
  •  N – November
  •  O – Oscar
  •  P – Papa
  •  Q – Quebec
  •  R – Romeo
  •  S – Sierra
  •  T – Tango
  •  U – Uniform
  •  V – Victor
  •  W – Whisky
  •  X – X-ray
  •  Y – Yankee
  •  Z – Zulu

What are synonyms and antonyms of roger that?

There is a vast collection of many different words that can be used in place of the word roger that, which are known as synonyms. Synonyms are words and phrases that have the same meaning as another word or phrase. Synonyms are very useful to know if you are looking to expand your vocabulary or if you are trying to avoid repeating yourself. This list of synonyms for the word roger that is provided by Power Thesaurus. 

  •  no doubt
  •  forsooth
  •  you bet
  •  have come to understand
  •  well understood
  •  yebo
  •  quite so
  •  as you say
  •  by all means
  •  understood it
  •  ya
  •  undoubtedly
  •  do you understand me
  •  of course
  •  i received this
  •  truly
  •  clearly understood
  •  i had understood
  •  you receive this
  •  all right
  •  clearly
  •  correctly understood
  •  i’ll say
  •  undeniably
  •  emphatically
  •  without doubt
  •  yes
  •  i received it
  •  indeed
  •  indubitably
  •  affirmative
  •  take your point
  •  see your point
  •  he know that
  •  understood me
  •  that’s right
  •  have come to realize
  •  absolutely
  •  so accurately
  •  enlightened self-interest
  •  pegged out
  •  agreed
  •  okay
  •  naturally
  •  unquestionably
  •  for sure
  •  amen
  •  without a doubt
  •  assuredly
  •  i have come to realize
  •  surely
  •  without question
  •  i got that
  •  positively
  •  doubtlessly
  •  spot-on
  •  verily
  •  fo sho
  •  sure thing
  •  you got it
  •  quite
  •  certainly
  •  precisely
  •  obviously
  •  sure
  •  really
  •  you said it
  •  well noted
  •  properly understood
  •  definitely
  •  just so
  •  i agree
  •  you copy that
  •  exactly
  •  i got it
  •  so accurate

There are also numerous different words that are the opposite of the word roger that, which are called antonyms. Antonyms are also very useful to know if you are trying to expand your vocabulary and knowledge of the English language. This list of antonyms for the word roger that is also provided by Power Thesaurus. 

  •  nix
  •  thumbs down
  •  hardly
  •  naw
  •  in no circumstances
  •  nothing
  •  not on your nelly
  •  scarcely
  •  proscription
  •  nay
  •  not in any way
  •  no can do
  •  zero
  •  repudiation
  •  no thanks
  •  no one
  •  not likely
  •  dismissal
  •  disapproval
  •  nah
  •  declination
  •  aught
  •  no way
  •  no fear
  •  oh
  •  negative
  •  not really
  •  not in a million years
  •  burn
  •  come on
  •  ixnay
  •  negation
  •  nothing doing
  •  under no circumstances
  •  not in a thousand years
  •  dissent
  •  disclaimer
  •  disallowance
  •  none
  •  not any
  •  most certainly not
  •  not ok
  •  whatsoever
  •  denial
  •  noes
  •  nobelium
  •  over my dead body
  •  my word
  •  not
  •  by no means
  •  fie
  •  nuttin
  •  rejection
  •  contradiction
  •  not by any means
  •  veto
  •  i don’t think so
  •  oh-oh
  •  oops-a-daisy
  •  eng
  •  rebuff
  •  forget it
  •  of course not
  •  nit
  •  nonacceptance
  •  disavowal
  •  certainly not
  •  neither
  •  not at all
  •  hell no
  •  no indeed
  •  absolutely not
  •  uh-oh
  •  creek
  •  renunciation
  •  repulse
  •  red light
  •  no
  •  pshaw
  •  no way jose
  •  no siree
  •  nope
  •  turndown
  •  na
  •  nae
  •  refusal
  •  no-dice
  •  uh-uh
  •  no more
  •  renouncement
  •  on no account
  •  noway
  •  ah
  •  not on your life
  •  there is no
  •  indeed
  •  never
  •  not in any circumstances
  •  nowise
  •  definitely not
  •  refutation

Overall, the term roger that means Received Order Given, Expect Results. This is military slang. It is commonly used in radio communication when a person has received an order as a sort of affirmative that the order has been received. 

Sources:

  1. Why do pilots say roger that? | BAA Training 
  2. Military Terms, Military Jargon, Slang | Military 
  3. Phonetic Alphabet – NATO | Business Balls 
  4. No synonyms – 545 Words and Phrases for No | Power Thesaurus  
  5. Roger That synonyms – 76 Words and Phrases for Roger That | Power ThesaurusÂ