rocket

[ rok-it ]

/ ˈrɒk ɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR rocket ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of various simple or complex tubelike devices containing combustibles that on being ignited liberate gases whose action propels the tube through the air: used for pyrotechnic effect, signaling, carrying a lifeline, hurling explosives at an enemy, putting a space vehicle into orbit, etc.

a space capsule or vehicle put into orbit by such devices.

rocket engine.

verb (used with object)

to move or transport by means of a rocket.

to attack with rockets.

verb (used without object)

to move like a rocket.

(of game birds) to fly straight up rapidly when flushed.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?

Question 1 of 10

earnest

full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.

a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.

urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of rocket

1605–15; < Italian rocchetta, diminutive of rocca distaff (with reference to its shape) < Gothic *rukka

OTHER WORDS FROM rocket

rock·et·like, adjective

Words nearby rocket

rocker, rocker arm, rocker cam, rocker panel, rockery, rocket, rocket airplane, rocket bomb, rocket engine, rocket gun, rocket launcher

Definition for rocket (2 of 3)

rocket²

[ rok-it ]

/ ˈrɒk ɪt /

noun

any of various plants belonging to the genus Hesperis, of the mustard family, and related genera.Compare dame's rocket.

Also called rocket salad, roquette. the arugula plant, used in salads.

a noxious weed, Barbarea vulgaris, of the U.S., having lobed leaves and clusters of small, yellow flowers.

Origin of rocket

1520–30; < French roquette < Italian ruchetta ≪ Latin ērūca kind of herb

Definition for rocket (3 of 3)

Richard¹

[ ri-shahrd; French ree-shar ]

/ rɪˈʃɑrd; French riˈʃar /

noun

Mau·rice [maw-rees; French moh-rees] /mɔˈris; French moʊˈris/, Rocket,1921–2000, Canadian hockey player.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for rocket

The questions going through my mind are: How on earth are there Kalashnikovs and rocket launchers in the heart of Paris?
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
These people that work for the BOP are not rocket scientists.
How a ‘Real Housewife’ Survives Prison: ‘I Don’t See [Teresa Giudice] Having a Cakewalk Here’|Michael Howard|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Her brothers formed a group to rescue people after a rocket attack.
Drawing on the Memories of Syrian Women|Masha Hamilton|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is adopting technology—in rocket propulsion, composite construction, and aerodynamic refinements—already in use elsewhere.
Can Anyone Make Space Safe for Civilians?|Clive Irving|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

That would require the rocket to run for 55 to 60 seconds without a glitch.
Can Anyone Make Space Safe for Civilians?|Clive Irving|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It wouldn't do much good if the Arizona rocket got here, to fight the war.
Bear Trap|Alan Edward Nourse
With a rocket vehicle you pick your destination, make your calculations, and off you go.
Circus|Alan Edward Nourse
Alongside this one special gleam a red glow suddenly appeared—not a rocket this time, but a flare, undoubtedly.
The Glory of The Coming|Irvin S. Cobb
Your moral sense works by steam—it sends you up like a rocket.
The Golden Bowl|Henry James
It was rocket talk, and it meant the moment when all the fuel in a rocket burned out.
Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet|Harold Leland Goodwin

British Dictionary definitions for rocket (1 of 3)

rocket¹

/ (ˈrɒkɪt) /

noun

a self-propelling device, esp a cylinder containing a mixture of solid explosives, used as a firework, distress signal, line carrier, etc

any vehicle propelled by a rocket engine, esp one used to carry a warhead, spacecraft, etc
(as modifier)rocket propulsion; rocket launcher

British and NZ informal a severe reprimand (esp in the phrase get a rocket)

verb -ets, -eting or -eted

(tr) to propel (a missile, spacecraft, etc) by means of a rocket

(intr ; foll by off, away , etc) to move off at high speed

(intr) to rise rapidlyhe rocketed to the top

Word Origin for rocket

C17: from Old French roquette, from Italian rochetto a little distaff, from rocca distaff, of Germanic origin

British Dictionary definitions for rocket (2 of 3)

rocket²

/ (ˈrɒkɪt) /

noun

Also called: arugula a Mediterranean plant, Eruca sativa, having yellowish-white flowers and leaves used as a salad: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)

any of several plants of the related genus Sisymbrium, esp S. irio (London rocket), which grow on waste ground and have pale yellow flowers

yellow rocket any of several yellow-flowered plants of the related genus Barbarea, esp B. vulgaris

sea rocket any of several plants of the related genus Cakile, esp C. maritima, which grow along the seashores of Europe and North America and have mauve, pink, or white flowers

dame's rocket another name for dame's violet

Word Origin for rocket

C16: from French roquette, from Italian rochetta, from Latin ērūca a caterpillar, hairy plant

British Dictionary definitions for rocket (3 of 3)

Richard

/ (ˈrɪtʃəd) /

noun

Sir Cliff, real name Harry Rodger Webb . born 1940, British pop singer. Film musicals include The Young Ones (1961) and Summer Holiday (1962)

Maurice, known as Rocket . (1921–2000); Canadian ice hockey player

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

Scientific definitions for rocket

rocket

[ rŏk′ĭt ]

A vehicle or device propelled by one or more rocket engines, especially such a vehicle designed to travel through space.

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