variants
or rock 'n' roll
: popular music usually played on electronically amplified instruments and characterized by a persistent heavily accented beat, repetition of simple phrases, and often country, folk, and blues elements : rock entry 2 sense 2
If many older people had been suspicious of the jukebox in the early fifties, they were even more affronted by the success of rock and roll after 1954.—
Dominic Sandbrook
Dominic SandbrookThe industry has changed. Is it no longer sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll?—AP News
—often used before another nounAP Newsrock and roll legends/albums
… Jack is in his corset, Jane is in her vest. And me, I'm in a rock 'n' roll band …—The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
rocked and rolled; rocking and rolling; rock and rolls
1
: to perform or dance to rock and roll music
Mark headed off to Liverpool over the weekend, where he did a little rocking and rolling.—Paula Zahn
Paula Zahn2
informal
: to start out or get going energetically
He was wide awake and ready to rock and roll at 5:00 A.M.—Gideon Wulff
Gideon Wulff… an overwhelming majority of the U.S. population has a primal desire to unfold a badass pair of shades, slide them onto their head … throw a jacket over their shoulder, and utter, "let's rock and roll."—The Onion
The OnionExamples of rock and roll in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebKirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
The instrument, of course, grew to become wildly popular and ignited the creation of new genres like rock and roll.
—Sage Lazzaro, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
The golden era for Hawaiian steel guitar was eventually trumped by the popularization of the electric guitar — born out of efforts to amplify the Hawaiian instrument — which became a cornerstone of rock and roll, enrapturing the next generation of music lovers.
—Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2024
A little rock and roll at the Fort Worth bar and grill
Benson shared a few renderings of what the bar and restaurant will look like, but stresses that the final product may not be an exact one-to-one.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2024
Even more than their visceral deconstruction of rock and roll and even more than their famously outrageous live shows—think nudity, crowd taunts, fire, destruction—that name seemed to doom them for underground notoriety and exclude them from mainstream success.
—Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 26 Mar. 2024
Aykroyd and Landis approached B.B. King, King of the Blues; Little Richard, an architect of rock and roll; and Muddy Waters, Chicago’s greatest bluesman.
—John Belushi, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024
Ditto for Rihanna, who recently paired a lace mini skirt with a hefty leather and shearling coat; The look was more rock and roll boho, less romantic boho.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024
The show will also spotlight actors, chefs, athletes and more — anyone with a love of music and a rock and roll spirit.
—Michele Amabile Angermiller, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024
Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 6 Mar. 2023
Hedi Slimane, the current creative director of the French fashion house Celine, has always had a knack for the aesthetics of the rock and roll lifestyle: tight silhouettes here, leather there, and the use of large aviator sunglasses everywhere.
—Isiah Magsino, Town & Country, 6 Mar. 2023
But from the rock and roll era and on, exactly zero mainstream-famous bands have gotten their start in Huntsville.
—Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 6 Mar. 2023
Avril Lavigne’s fashion sense has always perfectly aligned with her pop-punk music: Her wardrobe is all about embodying an edgy, rock and roll attitude.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2023
Known as one of the legendary rock and roll sidemen of his era, the musician played in Browne’s band for most of the Eighties, making a name for himself beyond the studio.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2023
It’s been more than half a century since The Beatles and Rolling Stones reinvented the idea of rock and roll in their own unique styles.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2023
With a hand in his band’s album art, costumes, songwriting, staging and more, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s creativity has helped to define one of the strongest, most successful brands in rock and roll history.
—Jim Ryan, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2023
In the show, starring Riley Keough as Daisy Jones, viewers are taken back to the 1970s in the age of rock and roll as a little band called The Six claws their way up the charts.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2023
Noun
Unfortunately, rock and roll's not a life sentence.
—Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
The instrument, of course, grew to become wildly popular and ignited the creation of new genres like rock and roll.
—Sage Lazzaro, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
The golden era for Hawaiian steel guitar was eventually trumped by the popularization of the electric guitar — born out of efforts to amplify the Hawaiian instrument — which became a cornerstone of rock and roll, enrapturing the next generation of music lovers.
—Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2024
A little rock and roll at the Fort Worth bar and grill
Benson shared a few renderings of what the bar and restaurant will look like, but stresses that the final product may not be an exact one-to-one.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2024
Even more than their visceral deconstruction of rock and roll and even more than their famously outrageous live shows—think nudity, crowd taunts, fire, destruction—that name seemed to doom them for underground notoriety and exclude them from mainstream success.
—Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 26 Mar. 2024
Aykroyd and Landis approached B.B. King, King of the Blues; Little Richard, an architect of rock and roll; and Muddy Waters, Chicago’s greatest bluesman.
—John Belushi, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024
Ditto for Rihanna, who recently paired a lace mini skirt with a hefty leather and shearling coat; The look was more rock and roll boho, less romantic boho.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024
The show will also spotlight actors, chefs, athletes and more — anyone with a love of music and a rock and roll spirit.
—Michele Amabile Angermiller, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024
Verb
Simone Jackson: The Underground Disco Icon The world of Daisy Jones & The Six isn’t all rock and roll.
—Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 6 Mar. 2023
Hedi Slimane, the current creative director of the French fashion house Celine, has always had a knack for the aesthetics of the rock and roll lifestyle: tight silhouettes here, leather there, and the use of large aviator sunglasses everywhere.
—Isiah Magsino, Town & Country, 6 Mar. 2023
But from the rock and roll era and on, exactly zero mainstream-famous bands have gotten their start in Huntsville.
—Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 6 Mar. 2023
Avril Lavigne’s fashion sense has always perfectly aligned with her pop-punk music: Her wardrobe is all about embodying an edgy, rock and roll attitude.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2023
Known as one of the legendary rock and roll sidemen of his era, the musician played in Browne’s band for most of the Eighties, making a name for himself beyond the studio.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2023
It’s been more than half a century since The Beatles and Rolling Stones reinvented the idea of rock and roll in their own unique styles.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2023
With a hand in his band’s album art, costumes, songwriting, staging and more, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s creativity has helped to define one of the strongest, most successful brands in rock and roll history.
—Jim Ryan, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2023
In the show, starring Riley Keough as Daisy Jones, viewers are taken back to the 1970s in the age of rock and roll as a little band called The Six claws their way up the charts.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rock and roll.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rock and roll
Cite this Entry
“Rock and roll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rock%20and%20roll. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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