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1

rock

play
verb \ˈräk\

Definition of rock

  1. transitive verb

  2. 1 :  to move back and forth in or as if in a cradle

  3. 2a :  to cause to sway back and forth a boat rocked by the wavesb (1) :  to cause to shake violently (2) :  to daze with or as if with a vigorous blow a hard right rocked the contender (3) :  to astonish or disturb greatly the scandal rocked the community

  4. 3 :  to rouse to excitement (as by performing rock music) rocked the crowd

  5. 4 informal :  to wear, display, or feature (something striking, distinctive, or attractive) Carly Patterson is rocking a tight yellow T-shirt with jeans and high wooden sandals, belting her lyrics into a microphone. — Kate Hairopolous In the picture he's rocking a beard, a pair of shades and a striped t-shirt. — Sam Haysom

  6. intransitive verb

  7. 1 :  to become moved backward and forward under often violent impact; also :  to move gently back and forth

  8. 2 :  to move forward at a steady pace; also :  to move forward at a high speed the train rocked through the countryside

  9. 3 :  to sing, dance to, or play rock music

  10. 4 slang :  to be extremely enjoyable, pleasing, or effective her new car rocks

rock the boat

  1. :  to do something that disturbs the equilibrium of a situation

See rock defined for English-language learners

See rock defined for kids

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Examples of rock in a Sentence

  1. She gently rocked the baby to sleep.

  2. He rocked back and forth while he stood waiting.

  3. The boat rocked back and forth on the waves.

  4. An earthquake rocked the town.

  5. The building was rocked by an explosion.

  6. The news of the murders rocked the town.

  7. Their invention rocked the computer industry.

  8. The band rocked the crowd.

Origin and Etymology of rock

Middle English rokken, from Old English roccian; akin to Old High German rucken to cause to move

rock Synonyms

Synonyms
careen, lurch, pitch, roll, seesaw, sway, toss, wobble (also wabble)
Related Words
blunder, buck, dodder, falter, flounder, halt, hitch, hobble, jerk, jolt, reel, shake, stagger, stumble, teeter, toddle, totter, tumble, vacillate, vibrate, waddle, waver, weave; oscillate, undulate, wag, waggle

Synonym Discussion of rock

shake, agitate, rock, convulse mean to move up and down or to and fro with some violence. shake often carries a further implication of a particular purpose. shake well before using agitate suggests a violent and prolonged tossing or stirring. an ocean agitated by storms rock suggests a swinging or swaying motion resulting from violent impact or upheaval. the whole city was rocked by the explosion convulse suggests a violent pulling or wrenching as of a body in a paroxysm. spectators were convulsed with laughter
2

rock

noun, often attributive

Definition of rock

  1. 1 :  a rocking movement

  2. 2 :  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

First Known Use of rock

1559

3

rock

noun

Definition of rock

  1. 1 :  distaff

  2. 2 :  the wool or flax on a distaff

Origin and Etymology of rock

Middle English roc, from Middle Dutch rocke; akin to Old High German rocko distaff

4

rock

noun

Definition of rock

  1. 1 :  a large mass of stone forming a cliff, promontory, or peak

  2. 2 :  a concreted mass of stony material; also :  broken pieces of such masses

  3. 3 :  consolidated or unconsolidated solid mineral matter; also :  a particular mass of it

  4. 4a :  something like a rock in firmness: (1) :  foundation, support (2) :  refuge a rock of independent thought … in an ocean of parochialism — Thomas Molnarb :  something that threatens or causes disaster —often used in plural

  5. 5a :  a flavored stick candy with color running throughb :  rock candy 1

  6. 6 slang a :  gemb :  diamond

  7. 7a :  a small crystallized mass of crack cocaineb :  crack 9

  8. 8 :  the ball used in basketball

rock

adjective

rocklike

play \ˈräk-ˌlīk\ adjective

between a rock and a hard place

or less commonly

between the rock and the hard place

  1. :  in a difficult or uncomfortable position with no attractive way out

on the rocks

  1. 1 :  in or into a state of destruction or wreckage their marriage is on the rocks

  2. 2 :  on ice cubes bourbon on the rocks

Origin and Etymology of rock

Middle English rokke, from Old French dialect (Norman & Picard) roke, from Vulgar Latin *rocca

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

Rock

play
geographical name \ˈräk\

Definition of Rock

  1. river 300 miles (483 kilometers) long in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois flowing south and southwest into the Mississippi River at the city of Rock Island

ROCK Defined for English Language Learners

rock

play
verb

Definition of rock for English Language Learners

  • : to move (someone or something) back and forth or from side to side

  • : to cause (something) to shake violently

  • : to cause (someone or something) to be upset or shocked

ROCK Defined for Kids

1

rock

play
verb \ˈräk\

Definition of rock for Students

rocked

;

rocking

  1. 1 :  to move gently back and forth or side to side

  2. 2 :  to cause (something) to shake violently An earthquake rocked the town.

2

rock

play
noun

Definition of rock for Students

  1. 1 :  solid mineral deposits The bulldozer hit rock.

  2. 2 :  a mass of stone The ship washed up on the rocks. I picked up a rock from the path.

3

rock

play
noun

Definition of rock for Students

  1. 1 :  a rocking movement

  2. 2 :  popular music played on instruments that are amplified electronically

Medical Dictionary

rock

play
noun \ˈräk\

Medical Definition of rock

  1. 1:  a small crystallized mass of crack cocaine

  2. 2:  crack—called also rock cocaine

Learn More about rock

  1. Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rock Spanish Central: Translation of rock Nglish: Translation of rock for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of rock for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rock

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Examples: rock in a Sentence
Tip: Synonym Guide