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

Along with its rock star past, the seafront spread was once used as a gathering place for affluent visitors who would arrive from San Francisco by boat, Mansion Global reported, and the dwelling also served at various times as a hotel, a tea house, a bathhouse, and a casino. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 7 May 2024

As a famous rock star, Elliot did not want for male companionship. —Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024

Now 50, Best is the picture of panache who could easily be mistaken for an off-duty rock star. —Carlos Aguilar, New York Times, 3 May 2024

But the rock star didn’t want the new mom to work, and Pallenberg numbed her pain with heroin. —Marissa Charles, Peoplemag, 2 May 2024

Take the musician Sting, who was notified by an anonymous tip that his former accountant, Keith Moore, had stolen more than $9 million from the British rock star over four years in order to invest in global schemes and stave off personal bankruptcy. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024

As for his rock star status, Smith kept that quiet. —Sal Cataldi, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024

YouTube The lean, mustachioed guitarist cut such an iconic figure that director Cameron Crowe based the rock star hero of his 2000 movie Almost Famous on him. —Chloe Veltman, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024

Formula One is a sporting empire complete with rock star drivers, billion-dollar teams and a carbon footprint equal to a small African country. —Reina Sasaki, Fortune Europe, 17 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined at sense 1