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• rock bottom
  rock bottom

  noun

  the very lowest level.
• rock-bottom
  rock-bottom

  adjective

  at the lowest possible limit or level; extremely low.

rock bottom

¹ American  

noun

1. the very lowest level.

   He went bankrupt and touched rock bottom.

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rock-bottom ² American  

[rok-bot-uhm] / ˈrɒkˈbɒt əm /

adjective

1. at the lowest possible limit or level; extremely low.

   rock-bottom prices.

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rock bottom British  

noun

1. 1. the lowest possible level

   2. ( as modifier )

      rock-bottom prices

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rock bottom Idioms  

1. The lowest possible level, absolute bottom, as in Wheat prices have reached rock bottom. This idiom alludes to the presence of bedrock that prevents digging farther down. [Late 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of rock bottom¹

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Origin of rock-bottom²

First recorded in 1880–85

Explanation

Use the adjective rock-bottom to describe something that can't be any lower, especially a price. If a store is selling TVs at rock-bottom prices, you probably can't find one any cheaper. You'll almost always find this word describing the low price tag of something that's on sale or that has a very low cost. The rock-bottom prices for books can usually be found online or in a used book store or yard sale, rather than at a new book store. And you'll get rock-bottom prices on groceries if you clip coupons and buy store brands. Rock-bottom was coined sometime in the late nineteenth century.

Example Sentences

Mother Mary, then, has just reached her rock bottom, with Sam’s good graces barely cushioning her fall.

From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026

Volumes in the freight industry haven’t recovered yet, but the economics of delivery might just have hit rock bottom, with major shippers turning away volume.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

"The reason Anthropic's satirical ads went viral is precisely because public trust in you and OpenAI has already hit rock bottom over the past few months," reads one prominent comment.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026

When he woke up outside on a stranger’s futon with no money to his name, he knew he’d hit rock bottom.

From Slate • Feb. 2, 2026

I had regarded the effort at reconciliation as the rock bottom of the entire discussion on the passage and had never thought that Rav Gershenson would question it.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

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