rock star

noun

plural rock stars

1

: a famous rock musician

From my standpoint, from '72 to '76, I was the ultimate rock star. I couldn't have been more of a rock star. Anything that had to do with being a rock 'n' roll singer was what I was going for.

—David Bowie

He's what I always thought rock stars should be: sexy, dangerous, outrageous, and funny. And at least a little self-aware.

—Doug Brod

2

: a highly accomplished and well-regarded person in a particular field

Locals came streaming across a muddy construction site on the Cooper River to catch a glimpse of the rock star of politics.

—Howard Fineman

The Colchester Boards of Selectmen, Finance and Education are the rock stars of our town's elected government.

—Jason Cohen

For the agency, whose mission is building soil health, Brandt [David Brandt, farmer] has emerged as a kind of rock star. He's a "step ahead of the game."

—Tom Philpott

Pale-faced and bespectacled, the 43-year-old Chudzinski is an emerging rock star in NFL coaching circles.

—David G Fleming

… the day of the celebrity chef is seriously upon us. Chefs have become the rock stars of their generation, and we all long to know them better.

—Ruth Reichl

Examples of rock star in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For months, social media sites, Facebook in particular, have been deluged with fake AI photos and memes of rock stars supposedly visiting each other in hospitals, embarking on tours that don’t exist, and paying tribute to deceased celebrities onstage. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 17 Nov. 2025

The rock star will star in an adapted version of his musical The Last Ship to the Metropolitan Opera House in New York for nine performances from June 9 to June 14. —Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025

The legendary rock star had struggled with a series of health setbacks, including being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2020. —Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 2025

The rock star died by suicide in 2017 at the age of 52. —Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rock star

• adar
• afar
• ajar
• alar
• ansar
• bazaar
• bizarre
• boxcar
• boyar
• bulbar
• cachar
• cigar