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hard rock

noun

: rock music marked by a heavy regular beat, high amplification, and usually frenzied performances

Examples of hard rock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Just two weeks before his death, Osbourne performed a farewell show that reunited the original lineup of his trailblazing hard rock band Black Sabbath — guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward — at Villa Park in Birmingham. Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Dec. 2025 Becoming Led Zeppelin, a doc about Led Zeppelin, hard rock gods of the late ‘60s and ‘70s, is nominated for best documentary. Paul Grein, Billboard, 19 Nov. 2025 Frontman David Coverdale, who co-founded the multiplatinum hard rock band in the late 1970s, co-wrote most of its songs and also sang with Deep Purple and Jimmy Page, announced his retirement today. Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 13 Nov. 2025 Niven worked with several hair metal and hard rock acts during the Eighties and Nineties, but is still probably best known for his tenure with Guns N’ Roses, which covered much of the band’s early days and rise to stardom (1986 to 1991). Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hard rock

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hard rock was in 1959

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Cite this Entry

“Hard rock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard%20rock. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.

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