rocker

[ rok-er ]

/ ˈrɒk ər /

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rocker ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Also called runner. one of the curved pieces on which a cradle or a rocking chair rocks.

rocking chair.

a performer or fan of rock-'n'-roll. music.

a rock-'n'-roll song: She sang a ballad and followed that with two of her well-known rockers.

any of various devices that operate with a rocking motion.

Graphic Arts. a small steel plate with one curved and toothed edge for roughening a copperplate to make a mezzotint.

Mining. cradle(def 13).

an ice skate that has a curved blade.

Nearby words

Idioms

off one's rocker, Slang. insane; crazy: You're off your rocker if you think I'm going to climb that mountain.

Origin of rocker

1400–50; late Middle English: one who rocks a cradle; see rock², -er¹

rock

[ rok ]

/ rɒk /

verb (used without object)

to move or sway to and fro or from side to side.

to be moved or swayed powerfully with excitement, emotion, etc.

Mining. (of sand or gravel) to be washed in a cradle.

to dance to or play rock music.

(of popular music) to have the driving beat characteristic of rock.

Slang. to be very good, impressive, exciting, or effective: This show really rocks.

verb (used with object)

to move or sway to and fro or from side to side, especially gently and soothingly: Oh, look! Her big brother is rocking the baby to sleep.

to lull in security, hope, etc.

to affect deeply; stun; move or sway powerfully, as with emotion: Everyone in the courtroom was rocked by the verdict.

to shake or disturb violently: A thunderous explosion rocked the waterfront.

Slang.

to stir up; animate: We're gonna rock this joint tonight!
to use, wear, or display in a showy, self-confident manner or to great effect: Only you could rock that hat! The game rocks some amazing new features.

Graphic Arts. to roughen the surface of (a copperplate) with a rocker preparatory to scraping a mezzotint.

Mining. cradle(def 22).

noun

a rocking movement: the gentle rock of the boat.

rock-'n'-roll(def 1).

adjective

rock-'n'-roll(def 2).

Origin of rock

before 1100; Middle English rocken, Old English roccian; cognate with Middle Dutch rocken; akin to German rücken; Old Norse rykkja to jerk

SYNONYMS FOR rock

1. roll, shake.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rock ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsrock·a·ble, adjectiverock·ing·ly, adverbun·rocked, adjective

Synonym study

1. See swing¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rocker

The rocker posted a rambling video on his Facebook page claiming he's broke and penniless.
Creed Singer Scott Stapp’s Fall From Grace: From 40 Million Albums Sold to Living in a Holiday Inn|Marlow Stern|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now, Cooke is out with a memoir detailing his time with the rocker.
Janis Joplin’s Kozmic Blues|William O’Connor|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2000, Rocker was suspended by MLB, and by 2001 he was traded with his pitching in serious decline.
Mark Cuban Warns That Basketball Players Could Get the Sterling Treatment Next|Evan Weiner|June 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was never a call for a boycott of the games of the team that employed Rocker.
Mark Cuban Warns That Basketball Players Could Get the Sterling Treatment Next|Evan Weiner|June 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It looks like the rocker wants to showcase all sides of her life.
Phoenix, Ciara & More Best Music Videos of the Week (VIDEO)|Victoria Kezra|July 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She paused as she placed a rocker at the disposal of the stranger, and relieved her of coat and hat.
The Forged Note|Oscar Micheaux
Seven years have passed, and Beth sits leaning back in a rocker by the window, in the soft bright moonlight of Palestine.
Beth Woodburn|Maud Petitt
Please, Sir, there was a very stiff bully down at rocker this afternoon, and Rawson and I got tokered badly.
The Secret Glory|Arthur Machen
I dug out the earth, another carried it, and a third washed it in the rocker.
A Voyage round the World|W.H.G. Kingston
They used but one rocker, and have no doubt that they could have done much better with proper appliances.
Handbook to the new Gold-fields|R. M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for rocker

rocker

/ (ˈrɒkə) /

noun

any of various devices that transmit or operate with a rocking motionSee also rocker arm

another word for rocking chair

either of two curved supports on the legs of a chair or other article of furniture on which it may rock

a steel tool with a curved toothed cage, used to roughen the copper plate in engraving a mezzotint

mining another word for cradle (def. 9)

an ice skate with a curved blade
the curve itself

skating

a figure consisting of three interconnecting circles
a half turn in which the skater turns through 180°, so facing about while continuing to move in the same direction

a rock-music performer, fan, or song

British an adherent of a youth movement rooted in the 1950s, characterized by motorcycle trappingsCompare mod 1

off one's rocker slang crazy; demented

rock

/ (rɒk) /

noun

geology any aggregate of minerals that makes up part of the earth's crust. It may be unconsolidated, such as a sand, clay, or mud, or consolidated, such as granite, limestone, or coalSee also igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic

any hard mass of consolidated mineral matter, such as a boulder

mainly US, Canadian and Australian a stone

a person or thing suggesting a rock, esp in being dependable, unchanging, or providing firm foundation

British a hard sweet, typically a long brightly-coloured peppermint-flavoured stick, sold esp in holiday resorts

slang a jewel, esp a diamond

short for rock salmon

(plural) slang the testicles

slang another name for crack (def. 29)

between a rock and a hard place having to choose between two equally unpleasant alternatives

on the rocks

in a state of ruin or destitution
(of drinks, esp whisky) served with ice

Word Origin for rock

C14: from Old French roche, of unknown origin

rock

/ (rɒk) /

verb

to move or cause to move from side to side or backwards and forwards

to reel or sway or cause (someone) to reel or sway, as with a violent shock or emotion

(tr) to shake or move (something) violently

(intr) to dance in the rock-and-roll style

mining to wash (ore) or (of ore) to be washed in a cradle

(tr) to roughen (a copper plate) with a rocker before engraving a mezzotint

(tr) slang, mainly US to impress by wearing (an item of clothing) or playing (a musical instrument)She can still rock a miniskirt; He rocks a guitar like nobody’s business

rock the boat informal to create a disturbance in the existing situation

noun

a rocking motion

short for rock and roll

Also called: rock music any of various styles of pop music having a heavy beat, derived from rock and roll

Word Origin for rock

Old English roccian; related to Middle Dutch, Old High German rocken, German rücken

Rock

/ (rɒk) /

noun the Rock

an informal name for Gibraltar

a Canadian informal name for Newfoundland

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

Word Origin and History for rocker

rocker

"a rocking chair," 1852, American English, from rock (v.1); earlier "nurse charged with rocking a cradle" (early 14c.). In sense of "one of the curved pieces of wood that makes a chair or cradle rock" it dates from 1787. Slang off (one's) rocker "crazy" first recorded 1897. Meaning "one who enjoys rock music" (as opposed to mod (n.1)) is recorded from 1963, from rock (v.2).

rock

n.1

"stone, mass of mineral matter," c.1300, from Old English rocc (e.g. stanrocc "stone rock or obelisk") and directly from Old North French roque, which is cognate with Medieval Latin rocca (8c.), from Vulgar Latin *rocca, of uncertain origin, according to Klein sometimes said to be from Celtic (cf. Breton roch).

In Middle English it seems to have been used principally for rock formations as opposed to individual stones. Meaning "precious stone, especially a diamond," is 1908, U.S. slang. Meaning "crystallized cocaine" is attested from 1973, in West Coast U.S. slang. Figurative use for "sure foundation" (especially with reference to Christ) is from 1520s; but also from 1520s as "source of danger or destruction," in reference to shipwrecks (e.g. on the rocks). Also used attributively in names of animals that frequent rocky habitats, e.g. rock lobster (1843). Between a rock and a hard place first attested 1921:

to be between a rock and a hard place, vb. ph. To be bankrupt. Common in Arizona in recent panics; sporadic in California. ["Dialect Notes," vol. V, part iv, 1921]

Rock-ribbed is from 1776, originally of land; figurative sense of "resolute" first recorded 1887. Rock-happy (1945) was U.S. Pacific Theater armed forces slang for "mentally unhinged after too much time on one island." The rock-scissors-paper game is attested by that name from 1976; from 1968 as paper-stone-scissors. A 1967 source says it is based on Japanese Jan Ken Pon (or Janken for short), which is said to mean the same thing more or less.

rock

v.1

"to sway," late Old English roccian "move a child gently to and fro," related to Old Norse rykkja "to pull, tear, move," Swedish rycka "to pull, pluck," Middle Dutch rucken, Old High German rucchan, German rücken "to move jerkily."

Meaning "cause to sway back and forth" is from late 13c. Intransitive sense from late 14c. For popular music senses, see rock (v.2). Related: Rocked; rocking. To rock the boat in the figurative sense "stir up trouble" is from 1914. Rock-a-bye first recorded 1805 in nursery rhyme.

rock

v.2

"to dance to popular music with a strong beat," 1948 (first attested in song title "We're gonna rock"), from rock (v.1), in earlier blues slang sense of "to cause to move with musical rhythm" (1922); often used at first with sexual overtones (cf. 1922 song title "My Man Rocks Me (with One Steady Roll)"). Sense developed early 1950s to "play or dance to rock and roll music." Related: Rocked; rocking. Rocksteady, Jamaican pop music style (precursor of reggae), is attested from 1969.

rock

n.2

"action of rocking; a movement to and fro," 1823, from rock (v.1). As short for rock and roll, by 1957; but sense of "musical rhythm characterized by a strong beat" is from 1946, in blues slang. Rock star attested by 1966.

Medicine definitions for rocker

Rock

[ rŏk ]

John 1890-1984

American gynecologist and obstetrician who helped develop the first effective oral contraceptive in 1954.

Science definitions for rocker

rock

[ rŏk ]

A relatively hard, naturally occurring mineral material. Rock can consist of a single mineral or of several minerals that are either tightly compacted or held together by a cementlike mineral matrix. The three main types of rock are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.

A piece of such material; a stone.

Idioms and Phrases with rocker

rocker

see off one's head (rocker).

rock

In addition to the idioms beginning with rock

rock bottom
rocks in one's head, have
rock the boat

also see:

between a rock and a hard place
on the rocks
steady as a rock

rocker

noun

RELATED CONTENT

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of rocker

rock

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

adjective

Origin of rock

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for rocker

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Word Origin for rock

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