rocked

past tense of rock
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2
as in faltered
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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rocked In Newark, Delaware, a shooting on Saturday night rocked the University of Delaware. — Eric MacK , Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026 Poseck said he was determined the violence that has rocked France would not be replicated in Germany. — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026 Beetz is phenomenal as a young woman rocked by her own broken family history, willing to put herself in harm’s way to stop Jurek’s terror. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026 Her community has been rocked by the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas by an ICE agent. — Saige Miller, NPR, 30 Oct. 2026 Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics, said Southern California has been rocked by numerous chemical disasters, including the Lineage warehouse fire and the Garden Grove hazardous materials emergency. — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026 And although the set wasn’t particularly long, Charli rocked it, sending heads banging everywhere. — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 29 Oct. 2026 More recently, the race has been rocked by the decision by Stevens’ fiancé to vote for Rogers, in part due to Democratic divides on Israel. — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 29 Oct. 2026 Once one of the most sought after firms for top lawyers, Weil Gotshal has been rocked by an exodus of partners, including the chair of its global corporate practice. — Lauren Hirsch, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rocked
Verb
  • The insurrection drew immediate and obvious parallels to the United States, which, during much of the past decade, has lurched alongside Brazil through a strange hall of mirrors.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
  • And there was a frenzy as one man, grimacing and sweating, lurched along pulling a truck with a rope.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The gold exhausted by the mid-1920s, the mines faltered and then closed, the miners left and the burros stayed, turned loose to make their own way in the desert.
    — Harry Bruinius, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Both stocks faltered even though the full data which was released Thursday appeared meaningful for patients and positive relative to Wall Street expectations.
    — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The dead child’s aunt was stunned to learn that the fire was caused by an e-bike battery.
    — Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The Chicago White Sox stunned the baseball world by announcing the hiring of Tony La Russa — who led the Sox to a division title in 1983 — as their new manager.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • And you’d be surprised how people who think very differently can still find a point of commonality and can build trust.
    — Mark Guiducci, Vanity Fair, 30 Oct. 2026
  • So if the trade deadline comes and goes with Sieler still in South Florida, don’t be surprised.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • At Hill Street bar, close to the downtown criminal courthouse where McKinney has built his career, supporters swayed to smooth jazz and Top 40 radio hits, nursing cocktails and betraying no reaction to the dismal early returns.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
  • In his campaign, Piper highlighted affordability and the need for county government to be less swayed by the political donations incumbents receive from the lobbyists, vendors and developers that populate Miami-Dade’s donor circuit.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Surveillance footage released by police showed Andreatta reaching for Pagano’s wrist, arm and shoulder before the two shook hands.
    — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Steve Witkoff called Vladimir Putin a humanitarian, which had a lot of people shook because, famously, Vladimir Putin also started this war.
    — Kelli Wessinger, Vox, 31 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • And they were dazed when JJ Buchanan came down with Bryce Underwood's second Hail Mary pass to turn the four-touchdown-underdog Broncos' 12-7 upset into a 13-12 loss.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Despite looking dazed, Guerrero scampered home to tie the game at 1-1.
    — Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The 2026 guide has 29 new gems; that number includes a few places that had formerly dropped off the list but now return, having amazed us once again.
    — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Larry remarks, amazed all these years later by this odd before-they-were-stars encounter.
    — Blake J. Harris, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rocked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rocked. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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