rock

1 of 4

verb

ˈräk

rocked; rocking; rocks

Synonyms of rock next

transitive verb

: to move back and forth in or as if in a cradle

She gently rocked the baby to sleep.

: to cause to sway back and forth

a boat rocked by the waves

b(1)

: to cause to shake violently

An earthquake rocked the town.

(2)

: to daze with or as if with a vigorous blow

A hard right rocked the contender.

(3)

: to astonish or disturb greatly

The scandal rocked the community.

: to rouse to excitement (as by performing rock music)

The band rocked the crowd.

informal : to wear, display, or feature (something striking, distinctive, or attractive)

Carly Patterson is rocking a tight yellow T-shirt with jeans and high wooden sandals, belting her lyrics into a microphone.—

Kate Hairopolous

In the picture he's rocking a beard, a pair of shades and a striped t-shirt.—

Sam Haysom

intransitive verb

: to become moved backward and forward under often violent impact

The tower rocked under the impact of the hurricane.

also : to move gently back and forth

rocked on the balls of his feet

: to move forward at a steady pace

also : to move forward at a high speed

the train rocked through the countryside

: to sing, dance to, or play rock music

The band was rocking all night long.

slang : to be extremely enjoyable, pleasing, or effective

her new car rocks

rock

2 of 4

: 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

3 of 4

noun (2)

: a large mass of stone forming a cliff, promontory, or peak

: a concreted mass of stony material

also : broken pieces of such masses

: consolidated or unconsolidated solid mineral matter

also : a particular mass of it

: something like a rock in firmness:

(1)

: foundation, support

The superintendent describes [Michael] Doran as a rock on which the success of the school is and will continue to be built.—

Henry County (Kentucky) Local

(2)

: refuge

a rock of independent thought … in an ocean of parochialism—

Thomas Molnar

: something that threatens or causes disaster

—often used in plural

By the late 1930's, the university, so near the rocks in preceding years, had become one of the best-rounded educational institutions in the country.—

Current Biography

: a flavored stick candy with color running through

: rock candy sense 1

slang

: gem

: diamond

: a small crystallized mass of crack cocaine

: crack sense 9

: the ball used in basketball

Who's going to fight through screens or risk lumps and lacerations lunging into the stands after the rock?—

Chris Broussard

rock adjective

rocklike

ˈräk-ˌlīk

adjective

rock

4 of 4

noun (3)

: distaff

: the wool or flax on a distaff

Phrases

rock the boat

: to do something that disturbs the equilibrium of a situation

between a rock and a hard place or less commonly between the rock and the hard place

: in a difficult or uncomfortable position with no attractive way out

on the rocks

: in or into a state of destruction or wreckage

their marriage is on the rocks

: on ice cubes

bourbon on the rocks

Choose the Right Synonym for rock

shake, agitate, rock, convulse mean to move up and down or to and fro with some violence.

shake often carries a further implication of a particular purpose.

shake well before using

agitate suggests a violent and prolonged tossing or stirring.

an ocean agitated by storms

rock suggests a swinging or swaying motion resulting from violent impact or upheaval.

the whole city was rocked by the explosion

convulse suggests a violent pulling or wrenching as of a body in a paroxysm.

spectators were convulsed with laughter

Examples of rock in a Sentence

Verb She gently rocked the baby to sleep. He rocked back and forth while he stood waiting. The boat rocked back and forth on the waves. An earthquake rocked the town. The building was rocked by an explosion. The news of the murders rocked the town. Their invention rocked the computer industry. The band rocked the crowd. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The true babygirl of the moment is Jacob Elordi, but maybe post–Iron Claw Dickinson can rock an eyebrow stud too. —

Vulture, 21 Nov. 2023 When the aft searchlight came on, Lieutenant Walsh saw what had rocked the craft: the explosive cracking of a plastic window. —

William J. Broad, New York Times, 18 Nov. 2023 North channeled her mom's look from the Sydney Airport in 2006 in the TikTok — wearing a velour sweatsuit and sunglasses, as her friend rocked Hilton's newsboy cap, white sunglasses and striped shirt. —

Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 18 Nov. 2023 Tens of thousands of small earthquakes have rocked southwestern Iceland since late October, with thousands occurring in just the last few days. —

Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Nov. 2023 More than 2,000 earthquakes have rocked the area in the past 48 hours, according to Met Office data. —

Ragnhildur Sigurdardottir Bloomberg (wpns), arkansasonline.com, 14 Nov. 2023 Just plop it on top of your wine bottle, hit a button, and boom, your wine is ready to rock. —

Samantha Booth, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2023 Singer Tom Jones, who’s still rocking at 83 years old. —

Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 10 Nov. 2023 This new version of golf will rock, at least in the yacht sense. —

WIRED, 9 Nov. 2023

Noun

The men dropped the tubes near some rocks, knocking a cloud of dust into the air. —

Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Nov. 2023 Some cases involve years-long family separations over relatively minor infractions such as throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers. —

Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2023 One of the best features along this hike is Devil's Kitchen, which features pillars and other interesting rock formations. —

Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 22 Nov. 2023 The pair made up the pop rock duo Hall & Oates, and put out 18 studio albums together between 1972 and 2006. —

Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 22 Nov. 2023 Start with a rock: Now a sculpture, outside a bank: Mix in some Jiffy: Check out a church: Now . . . —

Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 21 Nov. 2023 There, the warm weather and leisure lifestyle inspired him to adopt a persona based around hard drinking and easy living, and a tropical rock sound full of steel drums and pedal steel guitars. —

Al Shipley, SPIN, 21 Nov. 2023 Beyond spending all day in one of its rock tubs, there's plenty to do, particularly at Somoza, the restaurant, gallery, and shop. —

Danielle Demetriou, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Nov. 2023 The ability to have clear vision is crucial for safety on a mountain for spotting other skiers, rocks, or obstacles that can cause injury. —

Anna Popp, Travel + Leisure, 21 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rock.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English rokken, from Old English roccian; akin to Old High German rucken to cause to move

Noun (2)

Middle English rokke, from Old French dialect (Norman & Picard) roke, from Vulgar Latin *rocca

Noun (3)

Middle English roc, from Middle Dutch rocke; akin to Old High German rocko distaff

First Known Use

Verb

12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1559, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of rock was in the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Phrases Containing rock

Cite this Entry

Style

“Rock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rock. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.

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Kids Definition

rock

1 of 3 verb

ˈräk

: to move back and forth in or as if in a cradle

: to sway or cause to sway back and forth

: to cause to be upset

rocked by the news

rock

2 of 3 noun

: a rocking movement

: popular music usually having a fast tempo, strong beat, and much repetition

rock

3 of 3 noun

: a large mass of stone

: solid mineral deposits

: a lump or piece of rock

: something like a rock in firmness : support

rocklike adjective

Etymology

Verb

Old English roccian "to move back and forth as in a cradle"

Noun

Middle English rokke "stone, rock," from an early French dialect word roke (same meaning)

Medical Definition

rock

noun

ˈräk

: a small crystallized mass of crack cocaine

: crack

called also rock cocaine

Geographical Definition

Rock

geographical name

ˈräk

river 300 miles (483 kilometers) long in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois flowing south and southwest into the Mississippi River at the city of Rock Island

Last Updated: 27 Nov 2023 - Updated example sentences

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rock

verb

noun (1)

noun (2)

noun (3)

Synonyms

Examples of rock in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near rock

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition

Geographical Definition

geographical name