rock star

American

Or rockstar

noun

a rock-'n'-roll star or celebrity.
a star or celebrity in any field or profession, or anyone who is highly admired.

TV chefs are the new rock stars.
My mom is a rock star!

Etymology

Origin of rock star

First recorded in 1955–60

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.

“I always wanted to be a rock star, but I probably wouldn’t be alive today if we’d made it,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

One might wonder why a twenty-something aspiring rock star would choose a children’s film like “Peter Pan” to be the centerpiece of his bedroom.

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2026

During our midyear review, he told me, “I just feel like I don’t know who’s going to show up. I hired this really cool rock star, and I don’t feel like that person is here.”

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

“Policy permanency is a more effective driver of long-term economic growth, but we’ll see. She is a political rock star in Japan and will have free rein for now.”

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

He looks like a rock star, but he has none of a rock star’s swagger and braggadocio and staginess.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023