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

Arch is a rock star, but rock stars need bodyguards and the offensive line is running short on big uglies. —American-Statesman Editorial Board, Austin American Statesman, 14 Jan. 2026

For their recent final show at the Barclays Center, the brothers brought JoJo, Norah Jones, Sombr and Japanese rock star Yoshiki onstage to perform with them. —Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2026

From the outset, Bowie presented himself less as that degraded breed—a rock star—and more as a cultural all-rounder. —Alexander Larman, Time, 10 Jan. 2026

This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of David Bowie, an artist whose vast impact on 20th- and 21st-century popular culture far exceeds his career as a constantly evolving rock star. —Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026

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