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• hard rock
  hard rock

  noun

  the original form of rock-'n'-roll, basically dependent on a consistently loud and strong beat.
• hard-rock
  hard-rock

  adjective

  (loosely) of or relating to igneous or metamorphic rocks, as in mining hard-rock mining and geology hard-rock geology.

hard rock

¹ American  

noun

1. the original form of rock-'n'-roll, basically dependent on a consistently loud and strong beat.

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hard-rock ² American  

[hahrd-rok] / ˈhɑrdˌrɒk /

adjective

1. (loosely) of or relating to igneous or metamorphic rocks, as in mining hard-rock mining and geology hard-rock geology.

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hard rock British  

noun

1. music a rhythmically simple and usually highly amplified style of rock and roll

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Other Word Forms

• hard rocker
  noun

Etymology

Origin of hard rock¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Origin of hard-rock²

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Tanbreez is among the largest rare earth hard rock deposits in the world, at 45 million tons.

From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026

"You are my god," Sanae Takaichi, a hard rock enthusiast, told the band's drummer Ian Paice, beaming as she handed him a pair of signed Japanese-made drumsticks.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

Most of the fossil remains encased in hard rock, and manually removing it could take years.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

Maybe this time Guns N’ Roses can headline a tribute to the Sunset Strip hard rock scene?

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2026

They camped in a dry gully bordered by a tangle of shrubs, and took shifts dozing on the hard rock ground and keeping watch.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo