1950–55; contraction of phrase rock and roll; see rock 2
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Saturday another will make their mark on Slane's rock-'n'-roll history spanning 40 years as headliner Harry Styles gears up to entertain a crowd of 80,000 for his sold-out show.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2023
Our trip to Langara this summer was marked by 25-mile-an-hour westerly winds, adding a rock-’n’-roll beat to the rhythm of our fishing boat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2018
Burning Guitars’ collection was bold, brash and too over-the-top for anyone but a rock-‘n’-roll frontman, while Datari Austin used fabrics that came across as a little blasé and — dare we say — cheap.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2017
Julia, I’m curious what you think of Peggy’s rock-’n’-roll entrance to McCann, which reminded me of this and was indisputably awesome.
From Slate ● May 4, 2015
Her new album, “The Firewatcher’s Daughter,” veers into more rock-’n’-roll terrain but still has gentle, cathartic moments of balladry, most notably on the Laurel Canyon-folk-influenced single “The Eye.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 5, 2015
"When you put music on for him he won't stop singing -- bachata, rock 'n' roll, anything noisy."
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
We’re at a moment when a lot of foundational rock ’n’ roll figures — Are dying.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Sutch, who was also a rock 'n' roll musician, first ran in 1963 in the Stratford by-election and also ran against former prime minister Harold Wilson in the 1966 election.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
“Down South” chronicles a hitchhiking trip on which Mr. McCartney and George Harrison bonded over guitars and rock ’n’ roll.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
I turned on the radio and tuned it to the station that played rock ’n’ roll music.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
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.
