rock

1 to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions the boat was rocking so much that several passengers felt seasick 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

2 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 falter, teeter, totter, waver, wobble (also wabble)Related Words flounder, lurch, stumble, toddle; quake, quaver, quiver, shake, shudder, tremble, vibrate; careen, reel, stagger, weave

3 to make senseless or dizzy by a blow she rocked the mugger with a single punch and then ran Synonyms daze, stunRelated Words deaden, knock out, paralyze; benumb, numb, stupefy; bowl over, knock down; bang, bash, belt, bludgeon, bonk, bop, clobber, clock, clout, hammer, hit, paste, pound, punch, rap, slam, slap, slug, smack, smite, sock, strike, swat, thump, thwack, wallop, whack, whale; batter, beat, buffet, bung, chop, cuff, drub, mangle, maul, pelt, pummel

4 to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected the news of the mayor's sudden death rocked the city Synonyms amaze, astonish, astound, bowl over, dumbfound (also dumfound), flabbergast, floor, surprise, shock, startle, stun, stupefy, thunderstrikeRelated Words befuddle, bewilder, blindside, blow away, confound, confuse, daze, discomfit, disconcert, dismay, jar, muddle, nonplus, perplex, shake up