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.
Their invention rocked the industry.
3
: to entertain (someone) in a very powerful and effective way
The band rocked the crowd.
His performance rocked the house. [=the audience loved his performance]
4
informal
: to wear, display, or feature (something striking, distinctive, or attractive)
… 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
1
: 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
see also rock one's world, rock out, rock the boat
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 hardness, firmness, etc.:
(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
(2)
: refuge
… a rock of independent thought … in an ocean of parochialism.—Thomas Molnar
—often used in phrases such as hard as a rock and steady as a rock to add emphasis
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
5
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
rock
adjective
see also between a rock and a hard place, on the rocks
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 Web
Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 9 Dec. 2025
Hundreds of rare books were damaged when a pipe burst inside the Louvre’s Egyptian antiquities library, a setback that comes just weeks after the museum was rocked by a brazen jewel heist.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 8 Dec. 2025
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
The dirt, the rocks, the minerals that make up the earth around him are an index of intimacy, of a time and place that shaped his fluid sensibility.
—Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rock
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Verb
By May, the Naked Gun actress was rocking a shorter, curled 'do.
—Noun
Meteors are chunks of space rock that enter our planet’s atmosphere at speeds typically between 25,000–160,000 mph.
—Cite this Entry
“Rock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rock. Accessed 13 Dec. 2025.
Kids 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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