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
But last summer Mr. Shapiro spent more than $2 million refurbishing the space and installing a modern lighting and sound system with an eye toward restoring its status as a rock-'n'-roll mecca.
From New York Times ● Dec. 31, 2012
And that’s the result of a formidable quantity of skills acquired over half a century immersed in the rock ‘n’ roll trenches, whether as a listener, critic, producer, or active participant.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
"When you put music on for him he won't stop singing -- bachata, rock 'n' roll, anything noisy."
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
“When you’re carving through the crowd, you feel like Johnny Hallyday at the Parc des Princes,” said Rolland, a stage winner on the Alpe d’Huez in 2011, with a deeply French rock ’n’ roll reference.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
We’re at a moment when a lot of foundational rock ’n’ roll figures — Are dying.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Part of her wanted to kiss Duff McAvoy, the tortured British trust-fund- runaway-turned-pirate-of-necessity who loved rock ’n’ roll and mouthy-but-vulnerable bass-playing girls from New Hampshire.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
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.
