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

John and Paul got an ego boost over their wives’ independent preexisting artistic careers — something these men did not have in common with any other male rock stars of their generation, to say the damn least. —Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2026

Pennsylvania's Democratic governor still may be unknown among many Americans outside his home state, but here at BBYO, the world's largest conference of young Jewish leaders, Shapiro is a rock star. —ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026

Influenced by rock stars like Mick Jagger, Gortner used his charisma to make a killing on the revivalist circuit, with the doc deftly exploring how for-profit religious figures use shady manipulation tactics. —Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026

Oddly, one of these belongs to the guitarist from the aforementioned American rock stars. —Catherine Bray, Variety, 20 Feb. 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