rocked; rocking; rocks
1
: to move back and forth in or as if in a cradle
She gently rocked the baby to sleep.
2
a
: to cause to sway back and forth
a boat rocked by the waves
b(1)
: to cause to shake violently
An earthquake rocked the town.
(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.
3
: to rouse to excitement (as by performing rock music)
The band rocked the crowd.
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
Kate HairopolousIn the picture he's rocking a beard, a pair of shades and a striped t-shirt.—Sam Haysom
Sam Haysom1
: to become moved backward and forward under often violent impact
The tower rocked under the impact of the hurricane.
also
: to move gently back and forth
rocked on the balls of his feet
2
: to move forward at a steady pace
also
: to move forward at a high speed
the train rocked through the countryside
3
: to sing, dance to, or play rock music
The band was rocking all night long.
4
slang
: to be extremely enjoyable, pleasing, or effective
her new car rocks
often attributive
1
: a rocking movement
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
1
: a large mass of stone forming a cliff, promontory, or peak
2
: a concreted mass of stony material
also
: broken pieces of such masses
3
: consolidated or unconsolidated solid mineral matter
also
: a particular mass of it
4
a
: something like a rock in firmness:
(1)
: foundation, support
The superintendent describes [Michael] Doran as a rock on which the success of the school is and will continue to be built.—Henry County (Kentucky) Local
Henry County (Kentucky) Local
(2)
: refuge
a rock of independent thought … in an ocean of parochialism—Thomas Molnar
Thomas Molnar
b
: something that threatens or causes disaster
—often used in plural
By the late 1930's, the university, so near the rocks in preceding years, had become one of the best-rounded educational institutions in the country.—Current Biography
Current Biography5
a
: a flavored stick candy with color running through
7
a
: a small crystallized mass of crack cocaine
b
8
: the ball used in basketball
Who's going to fight through screens or risk lumps and lacerations lunging into the stands after the rock?—Chris Broussard
Chris Broussard
rock
adjective
Synonyms
Examples of rock in a Sentence
Verb
She gently rocked the baby to sleep.
He rocked back and forth while he stood waiting.
The boat rocked back and forth on the waves.
An earthquake rocked the town.
The building was rocked by an explosion.
The news of the murders rocked the town.
Their invention rocked the computer industry.
The band rocked the crowd.
Noun (2)
a trophy wife with enough rocks to open her own jewelry store
Recent Examples on the WebClaire Moses, New York Times, 15 May 2024
Streaming platforms have rocked the distribution landscape in Spain, like many other countries.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 14 May 2024
The View cohost Ana Navarro is attempting to get young Americans to rock the vote in the upcoming presidential election by knocking egos back down to earth.
—EW.com, 13 May 2024
The tournament’s No. 5 seed was ready to rock from the opening whistle.
—The Denver Post, 11 May 2024
Scott made sure their outfits were on point — rocking Cactus Jack apparel including the fresh Nike Cactus Jack 1 sneakers.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 9 May 2024
Now more than four years after the world was rocked by a pandemic, H5N1, or avian or bird flu, has exploded in bird and livestock populations, and at least one human case has been confirmed by health officials.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 9 May 2024
The waves also rocked a work platform installed to help archaeologists investigate the ship.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 May 2024
Cara Delevingne rocked a power outfit on the 2024 Met Gala red carpet!
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, 4 May 2024
To be clear, that’s rock music, not a celebration of meteorites.
—Modesto Bee Staff, Sacramento Bee, 3 May 2024
The photographer was even invited into New York’s Columbia Recording Studios in January 1965 to document the recording of Bringing It All Back Home, which marked the first time that Dylan was backed by a rock band.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2024
The taiga’s pulse of winter freeze and summer thaw grinds rock into dust, as do the rasp-tongues of glaciers high in some mountains.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 2 May 2024
The rock band’s founder Jeffrey Lynne OBE announced the news on X (formerly known as Twitter) on May 1.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 2 May 2024
Their computer simulations require Planet 9’s gravitational kick to explain how small bits of rock and ice from around Neptune’s orbit end up close to the sun.
—Briley Lewis, Popular Science, 2 May 2024
These vibrant hues all come from volcanic rocks that are cooling off at various temperatures, all set off by the gorgeous green backdrop of Chamarel.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 1 May 2024
In an effort to preserve the countries conservation, the island has made an effort to protect natural resources such as reefs and restoring endangered species like the rock iguana.
—USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024
Verb
His disqualification was not the only thing rocking this year’s Eurovision, with pro-Palestinian protests before the final and heightened security for Israel’s contestant, Eden Golan, whom some activists had campaigned to be barred from the competition because of her country’s war in Gaza.
—Claire Moses, New York Times, 15 May 2024
Streaming platforms have rocked the distribution landscape in Spain, like many other countries.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 14 May 2024
The View cohost Ana Navarro is attempting to get young Americans to rock the vote in the upcoming presidential election by knocking egos back down to earth.
—EW.com, 13 May 2024
The tournament’s No. 5 seed was ready to rock from the opening whistle.
—The Denver Post, 11 May 2024
Scott made sure their outfits were on point — rocking Cactus Jack apparel including the fresh Nike Cactus Jack 1 sneakers.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 9 May 2024
Now more than four years after the world was rocked by a pandemic, H5N1, or avian or bird flu, has exploded in bird and livestock populations, and at least one human case has been confirmed by health officials.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 9 May 2024
The waves also rocked a work platform installed to help archaeologists investigate the ship.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 May 2024
Cara Delevingne rocked a power outfit on the 2024 Met Gala red carpet!
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
Noun
Controlled descent mode allows the Bronco to go slowly down rocks and boulders.
—Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, 4 May 2024
To be clear, that’s rock music, not a celebration of meteorites.
—Modesto Bee Staff, Sacramento Bee, 3 May 2024
The photographer was even invited into New York’s Columbia Recording Studios in January 1965 to document the recording of Bringing It All Back Home, which marked the first time that Dylan was backed by a rock band.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2024
The taiga’s pulse of winter freeze and summer thaw grinds rock into dust, as do the rasp-tongues of glaciers high in some mountains.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 2 May 2024
The rock band’s founder Jeffrey Lynne OBE announced the news on X (formerly known as Twitter) on May 1.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 2 May 2024
Their computer simulations require Planet 9’s gravitational kick to explain how small bits of rock and ice from around Neptune’s orbit end up close to the sun.
—Briley Lewis, Popular Science, 2 May 2024
These vibrant hues all come from volcanic rocks that are cooling off at various temperatures, all set off by the gorgeous green backdrop of Chamarel.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 1 May 2024
In an effort to preserve the countries conservation, the island has made an effort to protect natural resources such as reefs and restoring endangered species like the rock iguana.
—USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rock.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rock
Cite this Entry
“Rock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rock. Accessed 19 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rock
1 of 3 verb1
: to move back and forth in or as if in a cradle
2
a
: to sway or cause to sway back and forth
b
: to cause to be upset
rocked by the news
rock
2 of 3 noun1
: a rocking movement
2
: popular music usually having a fast tempo, strong beat, and much repetition
rock
3 of 3 noun1
: a large mass of stone
2
a
: solid mineral deposits
b
: a lump or piece of rock
3
: something like a rock in firmness : support
rocklike
adjective
Etymology
Verb
Old English roccian "to move back and forth as in a cradle"
Noun
Middle English rokke "stone, rock," from an early French dialect word roke (same meaning)
Medical Definition
Geographical Definition
Rock
geographical name
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
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