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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 News rock 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 Onion
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Webcleveland, 24 Jan. 2023
Lemmy Kilmister was the spirit animal of rock and roll for so many decades.
—Vulture, 11 Jan. 2023
If Fox is giving rock and roll, her fiancé is sticking to punk.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 8 Dec. 2022
The poster is an original advertisement window card memorializing the show that never was, and one of the first tragedies in rock and roll history.
—Christopher Brito, CBS News, 15 Nov. 2022
Butler, 30, portrays the roll rock and roll titan and sings some of the star's original early works in the production.
—Breanna Bell, PEOPLE.com, 30 June 2022
Wolverine Blues saw Swedish death-metal pioneers Entombed slowing down and adding a rock and roll swagger to their grisly, sepulchral sound, and in the process realizing some of their most memorable material.
—Hank Shteamer, SPIN, 24 Jan. 2023
Dolly Parton's list of legendary duet partners for her upcoming rock and roll album keeps growing!
—Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 23 Jan. 2023
Kelly Clarkson is letting her rock and roll side shine.
—Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 11 Jan. 2023
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
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Noun
Despite the different elements and stylistic mashups, the result is that Thelma and the Sleaze make matriarch-fornicating rock and roll.
—cleveland, 24 Jan. 2023
Lemmy Kilmister was the spirit animal of rock and roll for so many decades.
—Vulture, 11 Jan. 2023
If Fox is giving rock and roll, her fiancé is sticking to punk.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 8 Dec. 2022
The poster is an original advertisement window card memorializing the show that never was, and one of the first tragedies in rock and roll history.
—Christopher Brito, CBS News, 15 Nov. 2022
Butler, 30, portrays the roll rock and roll titan and sings some of the star's original early works in the production.
—Breanna Bell, PEOPLE.com, 30 June 2022
Wolverine Blues saw Swedish death-metal pioneers Entombed slowing down and adding a rock and roll swagger to their grisly, sepulchral sound, and in the process realizing some of their most memorable material.
—Hank Shteamer, SPIN, 24 Jan. 2023
Dolly Parton's list of legendary duet partners for her upcoming rock and roll album keeps growing!
—Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 23 Jan. 2023
Kelly Clarkson is letting her rock and roll side shine.
—Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 11 Jan. 2023
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
See More
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.
Word History
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 31 Mar. 2023.
Kids Definition
rock-and-roll
noun
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