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

Nobody minded — in an era of chatty rock stars, there was something refreshing about that. —Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2026

Sam Reid plays the camp vampire rock star Lestat de Lioncourt looking to set the record straight after being alive and undead for 265 years in the official trailer for AMC’s The Vampire Lestat drama that dropped on Wednesday. —Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026

The Idea of You premiere in 2024 was the perfect place for this youthful, rock star-esque pony with bangs. —Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026

Of course, the youthful rock star vibe is what fans want out of the tour. —Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 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