on the rocks
Idioms-
Ruined, spoiled, as in Six months after the wedding, their marriage was on the rocks . This expression, alluding to a ship running aground on rocks and breaking apart, has been used figuratively for other disasters since the late 1800s.
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Served over ice only, as in He always drinks whiskey on the rocks . The “rocks” here are the ice cubes. [Mid-1900s]
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Destitute, bankrupt, as in Can I borrow next month's rent? I'm on the rocks . This usage, from the late 1800s, is heard more often in Britain than America.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One had a festering cut on his shin that he said he got from a fall on the rocks near the beach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Because their speed and strength depend on the rocks they pass through, they can reveal hidden layers, fractures, and other structures deep below the seafloor.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026
By 1970, Williams and Longet’s marriage was on the rocks, and the pair separated.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
She confided in her mother that their marriage was on the rocks and she was planning to move home.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026
I went to the pagoda first, but I couldn’t fly airplanes or even sit on the rocks because it’d been ruined by the Detentionheads.
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
