rocket

1 of 3

noun (1)

rock·​et ˈrä-kət 

rä-ˈket

: any of several plants of the mustard family: such as

a

: arugula

b

: dame's rocket

rocket

2 of 3

noun (2)

rock·​et ˈrä-kət 

often attributive

1

a

: a firework consisting of a case partly filled with a combustible composition fastened to a guiding stick and propelled through the air by the rearward discharge of the gases liberated by combustion

b

: a similar device used as an incendiary weapon or as a propelling unit (as for a lifesaving line)

2

: a jet engine that operates on the same principle as the firework rocket, consists essentially of a combustion chamber and an exhaust nozzle, carries either liquid or solid propellants which provide the fuel and oxygen needed for combustion and thus make the engine independent of the oxygen of the air, and is used especially for the propulsion of a missile (such as a bomb or shell) or a vehicle (such as an airplane)

3

: a rocket-propelled bomb, missile, projectile, or vehicle

rocket

3 of 3

verb

rocketed; rocketing; rockets

transitive verb

: to convey or propel by means of or as if by a rocket

intransitive verb

1

: to rise up swiftly, spectacularly, and with force

rocketed to the top of the list

2

: to travel rapidly in or as if in a rocket

Synonyms

Verb

• barrel
• belt
• blast
• blaze
• blow
• bolt
• bomb [slang]
• bowl
• breeze
• bundle
• bustle
• buzz
• cannonball
• careen
• career
• chase
• course
• crack (on)
• dash
• drive
• fly
• hare
• hasten
• hie
• highball
• hotfoot (it)
• hump
• hurl
• hurry
• hurtle
• hustle
• jet
• jump
• motor
• nip
• pelt
• race
• ram
• rip
• run
• rush
• rustle
• scoot
• scurry
• scuttle
• shoot
• speed
• step
• tear
• travel
• trot
• whirl
• whisk
• zip
• zoom

Examples of rocket in a Sentence

Verb

Sales rocketed from 1,000 units last week to 5,000 units this week.

The train rocketed through the tunnel.

The spacecraft rocketed into outer space.

Her novel rocketed to the top of the best-seller list.

Their album rocketed up the charts.

His role in the movie rocketed him to fame.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Shenzhou 20 mission is due to launch on a Long March 2F rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 5:17 a.m. EDT (0917 GMT; 5:17 p.m. Beijing time) on Thursday, sending the spacecraft on a 6.5-hour journey to the Tiangong space station in low Earth orbit. —Tariq Malik, Space.com, 23 Apr. 2025

Eric Berger is the senior space editor at Ars Technica, covering everything from astronomy to private space to NASA policy, and author of two books: Liftoff, about the rise of SpaceX; and Reentry, on the development of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon. —Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2025

Verb

A day after rumors rocketed around the internet suggesting Europe was considering a ban on the lightweight material, a report on Tuesday clarified that claim, making clear that it would not be banned. —Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2025

The stars, part of a six-woman, all-female cadre, rocketed off alongside former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn. —Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

borrowed from Middle French roquete, borrowed from Italian (15th-century) ruchetta, rochetta, from ruca "arugula" (going back to Latin ērūca "arugula, caterpillar," of uncertain origin) + -etta, diminutive suffix, going back to Latin -itta

Note: The sense "caterpillar" of Latin ērūca has been taken as the original one, with the plant so called from the resemblance of its hairy stems to a caterpillar. If this is the case, ērūca could be a derivative of *ēr "hedgehog" (see urchin); the suffix may be the same as in festūca "stalk, straw," lactūca "lettuce," and verrūca "wart."

Noun (2)

Italian rocchetta, literally, small distaff, from diminutive of rocca distaff, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German rocko distaff

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1530, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1837, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing rocket

• bottle rocket
• dame's rocket
• garden rocket
• retro-rocket
• rocket plane
• rocket science
• rocket scientist
• rocket ship
• rocket sled
• sounding rocket
• wall rocket

Rhymes for rocket

• docket
• locket
• pocket
• socket
• sprocket
• pickpocket
• skyrocket

Kids Definition

rocket

1 of 2 noun

rock·​et ˈräk-ət 

1

: a firework that is driven through the air by the gases produced by a burning substance

2

: a jet engine that operates like a firework rocket but carries its own oxygen for burning the fuel and is therefore able to run without the oxygen of the air

3

: an object (as a missile) that is driven by a rocket

rocket

2 of 2 verb

1

: to transport by a rocket

rocket a satellite into orbit

2

: to rise swiftly

a singer who rocketed to stardom

3

: to travel rapidly in or as if in a rocket

Etymology

Noun

from Italian rocchetta, literally "a small stick or rod on which wool is held for spinning," from rocca "distaff"; probably so called because of its shape