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

As the bartender quieted whatever terrible hair-metal mixtape had been playing over the house PA, and the lights glowed red on the stage, Ryan was trying to create the illusion of a behind-the-curtain, big-stage, rock star entrance. — Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026

Their appearances highlighted Smashing Pumpkins’ resonance over more than three decades, and their influence on the next generation of rock stars. — Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2026

These elucidations are not only fascinating, but wholly original as far as rock star memoirs go. — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 30 July 2026

Everyone here has been brought by Vernon, really, by mystical conjuring if not literal invitation, the rock star as co-author. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 28 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rock star

• adar
• afar
• ajar
• alar
• alvar
• bazaar
• bizarre
• boxcar
• boyar
• bulbar
• cachar
• cigar