as in gem
a usually valuable stone cut and polished for ornament
a trophy wife with enough rocks to open her own jewelry store
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to sway
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions
the boat was rocking so much that several passengers felt seasick
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to shake
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side
the drunk rocked on his heels for a moment and then fell flat on his back
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to stun
to make senseless or dizzy by a blow
she rocked the mugger with a single punch and then ran
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to surprise
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
the news of the mayor's sudden death rocked the city
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in rocklike
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in jewels
a usually valuable stone cut and polished for ornament
a trophy wife with enough rocks to open her own jewelry store
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in sways
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions
the boat was rocking so much that several passengers felt seasick
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in shakes
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side
the drunk rocked on his heels for a moment and then fell flat on his back
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in stuns
to make senseless or dizzy by a blow
she rocked the mugger with a single punch and then ran
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in surprises
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
the news of the mayor's sudden death rocked the city
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Recent Examples of rock
Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2026
South of Tyson Street, the shoreline is badly eroded, leaving nothing but rocks at high tide.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Rebecca Hersher, NPR, 30 Mar. 2026
On one hand, why rock the boat?
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 30 Mar. 2026
Tortoise, Touch Touch, the first full-length by venerable Chicago post-rock outfit Tortoise since 2016’s The Catastrophist, catches the quintet pushing past the most bucolic stretches of the previous release.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Brit McCandless Farmer, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
South of Tyson Street, the shoreline is badly eroded, leaving nothing but rocks at high tide.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
New Atlas, 6 Mar. 2026
No one rocks a short haircut quite like Halle Berry.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rock
Noun
The brainchild of singer/songwriter Kevin Parker, Tame Impala emerged in 2010 with a psychedelic rock sound that started turning heads abroad from their very first single.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2026
South of Tyson Street, the shoreline is badly eroded, leaving nothing but rocks at high tide.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
Massive floods rocked the county in 2011 and 2014.
—Rebecca Hersher, NPR, 30 Mar. 2026
On one hand, why rock the boat?
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Foote and Dickow have been collaborators for nearly three decades, playing together in Rex Ritter’s post-Jessamine band Fontanelle and the Portland post-rock band Nudge.
—Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 30 Mar. 2026
Tortoise, Touch Touch, the first full-length by venerable Chicago post-rock outfit Tortoise since 2016’s The Catastrophist, catches the quintet pushing past the most bucolic stretches of the previous release.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Noun
The crew relied on an expert climbing team to rappel down steep walls, scale rocks, and navigate treacherous terrain.
—Brit McCandless Farmer, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
South of Tyson Street, the shoreline is badly eroded, leaving nothing but rocks at high tide.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
View gallery - 8 images Vinyl records have been finding more and more new ears in recent years, and Mixx Audio has a novel turntable to help keep the groove moving – one that also rocks a CD player plonked right in the middle of the platter, as well as flexible connectivity.
—New Atlas, 6 Mar. 2026
No one rocks a short haircut quite like Halle Berry.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rock
Adjective
-
During Vargas Llosa’s lifetime, his political beliefs underwent extreme changes, from supporting Castro’s revolutionary Communism to championing traditional European liberalism, which included an adamantine belief in unregulated markets.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Still, Naz, whose solitary ways confuse his family, very much wishes that Aziza wasn’t meeting his adamantine mother, Claudine (LaTanya Richardson Jackson), or his famous father, or his ex-state-senator older brother, Junior (Glenn Davis), recently incarcerated for embezzling campaign funds.—
Helen Shaw,
The New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Tanenbaum also questioned Duckett's other claim that challenged the constitutionality of the death warrant signed by DeSantis and set a compressed schedule for post-conviction proceedings.—
CBS Miami Team,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The compressed schedule due to the 2026 Winter Olympics, combined with Colorado being an older club still trying to fend off the Dallas Stars for the top spot in the Western Conference, has meant the Avs are trying to rest as much as possible.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Taxpayers generally foot a substantial portion of the bill, and owners reap the revenue from ticket sales, concessions, and stadium naming rights.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Gontang notes that walking on an incline can make a substantial difference because walking uphill requires more muscle activation and greater energy expenditure than walking on a flat surface.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The pages flip like a Rolodex, doubling as a condensed history of evolving celebrity culture from old Hollywood to the counterculture of the ’70s and ’80s to the present day.—
Margaret Heidenry,
Vanity Fair,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The condensed schedule has contributed to an increase in injuries across the league, and the Sabres have been hit as hard as any team.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
While Bright Lights is a clinically sound and narratively solid depiction of a sickness, this movie adaptation lacks the novel’s deliciously acerbic descriptions of New York’s sick social scene as well as its protagonist’s self-aware commentaries.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Plot details are under wraps but according to the spartan official synopsis, the psychological thriller unfolds in a seemingly idyllic and takes audiences on a vertiginous dive into the shifting limits of a sound mind, as grief and obsession take hold.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rock. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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