Etymology Inherited from Middle English rocke, rokke (“rock formation”), from Old English *rocc (“rock”), as in Old English stānrocc (“high stone rock, peak, obelisk”), and also later from Anglo-Norman roque, (compare Modern French roc, roche, rocher), from Medieval Latin rocca (attested 767), of uncertain origin, sometimes said to be of Celtic (in particular, perhaps Gaulish) origin (compare Breton roc'h). Related also to Middle Low German rocke (“rock ledge”). One suggestion is that it derives from Vulgar Latin *rupica, from rupes (compare rupico).
The naturally occurring aggregate of solid mineral matter that constitutes a significant part of the earth's crust.
The face of the cliff is solid rock.
Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale.[…]Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge.2013 June 29, “High and wet”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, archived from the original on 01 Nov 2020, page 28:
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This park’s strange and beautiful rock formations were formed by the Yellowstone River and various streams that have cut through the rock over millions of years, carving out hoodoos, spires and caprocks. The name Makoshika comes from a Lakota word for badlands.2018 July 17, Autumn Spanne, “Check out these crazy rock formations across the United States”, in CNN:
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A mass of stone projecting out of the ground or water.
The ship crashed on the rocks.
This enormous, 1.7 million acre property offers hikes to spectacular formations like Metate Arch in Devil’s Garden and the Wahweap Hoodoos, slender, ghostly rocks that can reach several stories high.2018 July 17, Autumn Spanne, “Check out these crazy rock formations across the United States”, in CNN:
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Ireland, UK A boulder or large stone; or (US, Canada) a smaller stone; a pebble.
Some fool has thrown a rock through my window.
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Geography, Geology, Natural sciences Any natural material with a distinctive composition of minerals.
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Colloquial A precious stone or gem, especially a diamond.
Look at the size of that rock on her finger!
I call all the shots, rip all the spots / Rock all the rocks, cop all the drops1997, “Mo Money Mo Problems”, in Life After Death, performed by The Notorious B.I.G. ft. Ma$e and Diddy:
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Here she is, a billionaire’s wife, yet gripped by constant social anxiety, forever agonising that she’d worn her best rocks to an event that actually called for “patio jewellery” (necklaces $1m or under).2025 June 27, Marina Hyde, “Anna Wintour has spent decades dictating a certain look for the super-rich. Then along came Lauren”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
In an Instagram post on Monday, Georgina Rodríguez, the longtime girlfriend of the soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, shared a photo of a gigantic rock on her ring finger.2025 August 12, Sadiba Hasan, “Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez Are Engaged. All Eyes Are on the Ring.”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 Aug 2025:
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A large hill or island having no vegetation.
The captain named it Pearl Rock after the rising sun illuminated the surface of the island.
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Figuratively Something that is strong, stable, and dependable; a person who provides security or support to another.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 16:18:
1991, Robert Harling and Andrew Bergman, Soapdish, Paramount Pictures, Celeste Talbert: She is my rock, my right hand.
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Being the best husband I can to my fantastic wife, Vic, who has been a rock by my side, through good times and bad.2026 June 22, Keir Starmer, resignation speech:
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A lump or cube of ice.
I'll have a whisky on the rocks, please.
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UK A type of confectionery made from sugar in the shape of a stick, traditionally having some text running through its length.
While we're in Brighton, let's get a stick of rock!
With my little stick of Blackpool rock/Along the promenade I stroll.1937 January 24, “With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock”performed by George Formby:
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Most Kenyans blithely assumed that if the British high commissioner said something, it represented British policy, a thought-through position running from one end of government to the other, like the lettering in a stick of Brighton rock.2009, Michela Wrong, It’s Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistle Blower:
I ain't guilty, ‘cause even though I sell rocks / It feels good puttin' money in your mailbox1995, “Dear Mama”, in Me Against the World, performed by 2Pac:
When I necked five-quid bottles of vodka, I did not read the label. When I scored rocks and bags off tumbleweed hobos blowing through the no-man's-land of Hackney estates, I conducted no litmus test.2014, Russell Brand, “Prologue”, in Revolution, →ISBN, page xiii:
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US, Slang An unintelligent person, especially one who repeats mistakes.
It [the original Space Jam limped to 88 minutes with detours into Jordan’s swanky mansion and forced its cartoon cavalry to compete for screen time against Wayne Knight and a bunch of basketball players who delivered their lines much less confidently than they put the rock through the net.2021 July 14, A. A. Dowd, “Space Jam: A New Legacy is one big, witless commercial for Warner Bros. properties”, in The A.V. Club:
Now, you should never make the last out of an inning at third, and when a player does it, everyone knows he pulled a rock.2014, Joe Morgan, Richard Lally, Baseball For Dummies, page 227:
Games, Rock paper scissors A closed hand (a handshape resembling a rock), that beats scissors and loses to paper. It beats lizard and loses to Spock in rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock.
It was easily possible to double the cost of a CB rig just by adding all of the "rocks" necessary to do the job.1980, Joseph J. Carr, The Complete Handbook of Radio Receivers, page 199:
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Golf, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A cheap golf ball.
Etymology Inherited from Middle English rocke, rokke (“rock formation”), from Old English *rocc (“rock”), as in Old English stānrocc (“high stone rock, peak, obelisk”), and also later from Anglo-Norman roque, (compare Modern French roc, roche, rocher), from Medieval Latin rocca (attested 767), of uncertain origin, sometimes said to be of Celtic (in particular, perhaps Gaulish) origin (compare Breton roc'h). Related also to Middle Low German rocke (“rock ledge”). One suggestion is that it derives from Vulgar Latin *rupica, from rupes (compare rupico).
1
To pelt with rocks; to stone.
Do you chaps mean to say you didn't make Rabbits-Eggs drunk and bribe him to rock King's rooms?1908, Rudyard Kipling, Stalky & Co.:
rock
verb
Etymology Inherited from Middle English rokken, from Old English roccian, from Proto-West Germanic *rokkōn, from Proto-Germanic *rukkōną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ruknéh₂ti, from *h₃rewk-, *h₃runk-. See also obsolete Dutch rokken, Middle High German rocken (“to drag, jerk”), Modern German rücken (“to move, shift”), Icelandic rukka (“to yank”); also Latin runcāre (“to weed”), Latvian rũķēt (“to toss, dig”).
The empty swing rocked back and forth in the wind.
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To Edward […] he was terrible, nerve-inflaming, poisonously asphyxiating. He sat rocking himself in the late Mr. Churchill's swing chair, smoking and twaddling.1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
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To sway one's body as a stim.
Tends to tap fingers on desk or spin ring on finger, especially when stressed. Sucks thumb in private. Loves to rock.2019 May 4, C. L. Lynch, “"Autism is a Spectrum" Doesn’t Mean What You Think”, in NeuroClastic:
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To cause to shake or sway violently.
Don't rock the boat.
A rising earthquake rocked the ground.1700, [John] Dryden, “Theodore and Honoria, from Boccace”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
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The lights of Luluabourg disappeared, and we were in the blackness of the African night, which was continuously pierced by the showers of red sparks ejected skywards and red hot ashes deposited on the track as the fireman rocked his fire.1958 February 23, Arthur F. Beckenham, “A Journey in the Belgian Congo”, in Railway Magazine, page 93:
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To sway or tilt violently back and forth.
The boat rocked at anchor.
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To be washed and panned in a cradle or in a rocker.
Of ore etc.
The ores had been rocked and laid out for inspection.
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To disturb the emotional equilibrium of; to distress; to greatly impact (most often positively).
Downing Street has been rocked by yet another sex scandal.
She rocked my world.
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To do well or to be operating at high efficiency.
The Blues' challenge had been rocking at that point, with Terry's centre-back partner Gary Cahill lost to injury and Barca having just levelled the tie through Busquets's neat, close-range finish from Isaac Cuenca's pull-back.2012 April 24, Phil Dawkes, “Barcelona 2-2 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport:
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Slang To be very favourable or skilful; excel; be fantastic.
Chocolate rocks.
My holidays in Ibiza rocked! I can't wait to go back.
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Ambitransitive, Euphemistic, Slang To make love to or have sex (with).
I wanna rock!
Cum on feel the noize, girls, rock your boys.1973, Noddy Holder, Jim Lea, “Cum On Feel the Noize”, performed by Slade:
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Rock me gently, rock me slowly, take it easy, don't you know, that I have never been loved like this before.1974, Andy Kim, “Rock Me Gently”:
Open up your heart / And let the loving start / Oh, woman, take me in your arms / Rock your baby.1974, Harry Wayne Casey, Richard Finch, “Rock Your Baby”, performed by George McCrae:
I just wanna rock you, all night long.1980, Jonah Ellis, Alisa Peoples, Cavin Yarbrough, “Don't Stop the Music”, in The Two of Us, performed by Yarbrough and Peoples:
Try me out, and if you get excited Take me home, I'd love to be invited Once we're there, I'm sure you'll be delighted We could rock all night1999, Harry Connick Jr., “Come By Me”:
Etymology Inherited from Middle English rokken, from Old English roccian, from Proto-West Germanic *rokkōn, from Proto-Germanic *rukkōną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ruknéh₂ti, from *h₃rewk-, *h₃runk-. See also obsolete Dutch rokken, Middle High German rocken (“to drag, jerk”), Modern German rücken (“to move, shift”), Icelandic rukka (“to yank”); also Latin runcāre (“to weed”), Latvian rũķēt (“to toss, dig”).
1
An act of rocking; a rocking motion; a sway.
rock
noun
Etymology Shortened from rock and roll. Since the meaning of rock has adapted to mean a simpler, more modern, metal-like genre, rock and roll has generally been left referring to earlier forms such as that originating in the 1950s, notably more swing-oriented style.
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Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music A style of music characterized by basic drum-beat, generally 4/4 riffs, based on (usually electric) guitar, bass guitar, drums, keyboards (often), and vocals.
Etymology Shortened from rock and roll. Since the meaning of rock has adapted to mean a simpler, more modern, metal-like genre, rock and roll has generally been left referring to earlier forms such as that originating in the 1950s, notably more swing-oriented style.
1
To play, perform, or enjoy rock music, especially with a lot of skill or energy.
Let's rock!
I wanna rock! (Rock!) / I wanna rock! (Rock!) / I want to rock! (Rock!) / I wanna rock! (Rock!)1984, Dee Snider, “I Wanna Rock”, in Stay Hungry, performed by Twisted Sister:
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To thrill or excite, especially with rock music.
Let's rock this joint!
3
To have people dancing and enjoying rock music.
The scene was rocking, all were digging the sounds Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds The coffin-bangers were about to arrive With their vocal group, The Crypt-Kicker Five.1962, “Monster Mash”, Bobby "Boris" Pickett and Lenny Capizzi (lyrics), performed by Bobby (Boris) Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers:
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To do something with excitement yet skillfully.
I need to rock a piss.
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To wear (a piece of clothing, outfit etc.) successfully or with style; to carry off (a particular look, style).
I call all the shots, rip all the spots / Rock all the rocks, cop all the drops1997, “Mo Money Mo Problems”, in Life After Death, performed by The Notorious B.I.G. ft. Ma$e and Diddy:
Take today, where she's rocking that well-known fashion combo – a Tory Burch outfit offset with a whacking great bruise attained by smacking her head on a plane's overhead lockers.2011 April 29, Tim Jonze, “Nerdy but nice”, in The Guardian:
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Rihanna was the pick of the best bunch, rocking a black backless crocodile dress from Tom Ford’s Autumn 2012 collection2012 May 8, “Rhianna dazzles at the Met Gala”, in The Sun newspaper:
Etymology From Middle English rok, rocke, rokke, perhaps from Middle Dutch rocke (whence Dutch rokken), Middle Low German rocken, or Old Norse rokkr (whence Icelandic / Faroese rokkur, Danish rok, Swedish spinnrock (“spinning wheel”)). Cognate with Old High German rocko (“distaff”).
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Distaff.
Sad Clotho held the rocke, the whiles the thread / By grisly Lachesis was spun with pain, / That cruel Atropos eftsoon undid.1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 48:
By order of the General Court in 1642, the "prudentiall" men of each town were instructed "to take care of such [children] as are sett to keep cattle be set to some other employment withal, as spinning upon the rock, knitting, weaving tape, etc., and that boys and girls be not suffered to converse together so as may occasion any wanton, dishonest or immodest behavior.1899, T Frank Waters, The Development of Our Town Government:
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A prepared end of yarn being fixed into the notch, the spinster, by a smart rolling motion of the spindle with the right hand against the right leg, threw it out from her, spinning in the air, while, with the left hand, she drew from the rock an additional supply of fibre which was formed into a uniform and equal strand with the right.1902, Day Otis Kellogg, Thomas Spencer Baynes, William Robertson Smith, The Encyclopaedia Britannica, page 664:
It is true that in Ireland, even in recent years, the flax, before being placed on the rock or distaff, was tangled into a mass, or, as Cormmelin expresses it, “drawn out in a flat cake.”1920, John Horner, The Linen Trade of Europe During the Spinning-wheel Period, page 32: