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Orbison

American  
[awr-bi-suhn] / ˈɔr bɪ sən /

noun

  1. Roy, 1936–88, U.S. rock and roll singer and songwriter.


Orbison British  
/ ˈɔːbɪsən /

noun

  1. Roy ( Kelton ). 1936–89, US pop singer and songwriter. His records include the singles "Only the Lonely" (1960) and "Oh Pretty Woman" (1964) and the album Mystery Girl (1989)

"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

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.

Steinberg’s other hits include the Pretenders’ “I’ll Stand by You,” the Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself” and “I Drove All Night,” which was recorded by both Lauper and Roy Orbison.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

And there is no mention of the dynamic 1980s collaborations with Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne as the ultimate supergroup, Traveling Wilburys.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

He had hits with a guy named Roy Orbison and a straightlaced, suit-wearing young man from Texas, Willie Nelson.

From Salon • Jan. 19, 2026

He toured with Roy Orbison and Conway Twitty and, as the de facto house drummer at Sun, played on “Raunchy,” the bluesy instrumental by the saxophonist Bill Justis that reached the Top 10 in 1957.

From New York Times • Feb. 21, 2024

For one full week, Mr. Loring played rock and roll beginning with Bill Haley and continuing in a kind of inauthentic historical overview through Buddy Holly until it stopped abruptly with Roy Orbison.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

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