rocket

[ rok-it ]

/ ˈrɒk ɪt /

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See synonyms for: rocket / rocketed / rocketing / rockets 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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of rocket

First recorded in 1560–70; from Italian rocchetta, diminutive of rocca “distaff” (with reference to its shape); from Germanic

OTHER WORDS FROM rocket

rock·et·like, adjective

Words nearby rocket

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

Other definitions for rocket (2 of 2)

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 United States, having lobed leaves and clusters of small, yellow flowers.

Origin of rocket

First recorded in 1525–35; from French roquette, from Italian ruchetta, ultimately from Latin ērūca kind of herb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rocket in a sentence

That mission, the first uncrewed flight test of our powerful Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, is just a little more than a year away from launch.
NASA just announced in a blog post that SLS will cost 30% more|Eric Berger|August 28, 2020|Ars Technica
When it flies, it will do so with six of the same engines, on top of a giant rocket booster called Super Heavy.
SpaceX flew a prototype of its Starship vehicle for the first time|Neel Patel|August 5, 2020|MIT Technology Review
To take off from the Martian surface and return home, astronauts will need liquid oxygen rocket fuel.
NASA’s Perseverance rover will seek signs of past life on Mars|Lisa Grossman|July 28, 2020|Science News
Large industrial 3D printers can whip up rockets and houses.
GE Will 3D Print the Bases of Wind Turbines Taller Than Seattle’s Space Needle|Jason Dorrier|June 21, 2020|Singularity Hub

At 394 feet tall by 30 feet wide, the rocket outsizes all those previously used in spaceflight, including the Saturn V used in NASA’s Apollo program.
SpaceX Wants to Build Floating Spaceports for Daily Starship Launches|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|June 19, 2020|Singularity Hub
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
General Pio del Pilar slept in the city every night, ready to give the rocket-signal for revolt.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
It was in conjunction with Mr. Booth that my father constructed the 'Rocket' engine.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
The day “Rocket” was much older, and got a good share of the Isle of Wight traffic.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
Francis Falconer, who died at Petersfield about 1874, drove the day “Rocket” all the time it ran.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
The Portsmouth Road has known no through coach since his “Rocket” was discontinued.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper

British Dictionary definitions for rocket (1 of 2)

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 2)

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

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.

rocket

Origin of rocket

OTHER WORDS FROM rocket

Words nearby rocket

Other definitions for rocket (2 of 2)

Origin of rocket

Words related to rocket

How to use rocket in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rocket (1 of 2)

Word Origin for rocket

British Dictionary definitions for rocket (2 of 2)

Word Origin for rocket

Scientific definitions for rocket