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• rock bottom
  rock bottom

  noun

  the very lowest level.
• rock-bottom
  rock-bottom

  adjective

  at the lowest possible limit or level; extremely low.

rock bottom

¹ American  

noun

1. the very lowest level.

   He went bankrupt and touched rock bottom.

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rock-bottom ² American  

[rok-bot-uhm] / ˈrɒkˈbɒt əm /

adjective

1. at the lowest possible limit or level; extremely low.

   rock-bottom prices.

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rock bottom British  

noun

1. 1. the lowest possible level

   2. ( as modifier )

      rock-bottom prices

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rock bottom Idioms  

1. The lowest possible level, absolute bottom, as in Wheat prices have reached rock bottom. This idiom alludes to the presence of bedrock that prevents digging farther down. [Late 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of rock bottom¹

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Origin of rock-bottom²

First recorded in 1880–85

Explanation

Use the adjective rock-bottom to describe something that can't be any lower, especially a price. If a store is selling TVs at rock-bottom prices, you probably can't find one any cheaper. You'll almost always find this word describing the low price tag of something that's on sale or that has a very low cost. The rock-bottom prices for books can usually be found online or in a used book store or yard sale, rather than at a new book store. And you'll get rock-bottom prices on groceries if you clip coupons and buy store brands. Rock-bottom was coined sometime in the late nineteenth century.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rock bottom rock-bottom

But by the end of 2022, Union Street had hit rock bottom.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

For debt watchdogs, the U.S. hit rock bottom around 2020 and 2021, according Goldwein.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 20, 2026

I came across Finch—a popular mobile app for self-care and habit tracking—the way I imagine most of their user base does: at rock bottom, doomscrolling until I was hit with one of their ads.

From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026

Bishop Alemany’s Dennis Keyes takes over a program that hit rock bottom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

The words is so clear in my head and right now is my only chance for her to really hear me, standing barefoot and rock bottom on the gas station phone.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

But a disappointing 1-1 draw, with the Rams scoring a stoppage-time leveller, left Burnley rock-bottom going into the break.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

The past decade-and-a-half have been a Golden Age for leveraged funds: Interest rates were at rock-bottom until recently, and stocks boomed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

His impeachment defense team said Paxton made a prudent shift toward real estate at a time of rock-bottom interest rates.

From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026

Many of these markets, particularly in the Sun Belt, saw a big run-up in home prices during the pandemic home-buying frenzy fueled by rock-bottom interest rates.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

The vast majority were relegated to claiming races, rock-bottom events in which any competitor can be purchased for a set, low price before the race.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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