cock-of-the-rock

[ kok-uhv-thuh-rok ]

/ ˈkɒk əv ðəˈrɒk /

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noun, plural cocks-of-the-rock.

a brilliant orange-red bird of the genus Rupicola, of northern South America, having an erect crest that conceals the bill.

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Origin of cock-of-the-rock

First recorded in 1815–25

Words nearby cock-of-the-rock

cockloft, cockney, cockney bream, cockneyfy, cockneyism, cock-of-the-rock, cock of the walk, cock of the woods, cockpit, cockroach, cock rock

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use cock-of-the-rock in a sentence

France 24 is providing live, round-the-clock coverage of both scenes as they progress.
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The atmosphere on campuses has gotten repressive enough that comedian Chris Rock no longer plays colleges.
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Sands was involved in a scandalous-for-the-time romance with the carpenter and there were rumors she was pregnant with his child.
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Three on-the-record stories from a family: a mother and her daughters who came from Phoenix.
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And, as the enigmatic front man to an avant garde indie rock group, he is droll, perceptive, and splendidly weird.
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Sleek finds it far harder work than fortune-making; but he pursues his Will-o'-the-Wisp with untiring energy.
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The well-known "cock and bull" stories of small children are inspired by this love of strong effect.
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The offspring of the ungodly shall not bring forth many branches, and make a noise as unclean roots upon the top of a rock.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
There lay Bob Rock, covered with blood, and apparently insensible.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
When she heard it there came before her imagination the figure of a man standing beside a desolate rock on the seashore.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for cock-of-the-rock

cock-of-the-rock

noun

either of two tropical South American birds, Rupicola rupicola or R. peruviana, having an erectile crest and (in the male) a brilliant red or orange plumage: family Cotingidae (cotingas)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012