rocket
1 Americannoun
-
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.
verb (used with object)
-
rockets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rocketed,
past participle, past
-
rocketing
present participle
-
to move or transport by means of a rocket.
-
to attack with rockets.
verb (used without object)
-
rockets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rocketed,
past participle, past
-
rocketing
present participle
-
to move like a rocket.
-
(of game birds) to fly straight up rapidly when flushed.
noun
-
any of various plants belonging to the genus Hesperis, of the mustard family, and related genera.
-
Also called roquette. Also called rocket salad,. the arugula plant, used in salads.
-
a noxious weed, Barbarea vulgaris, of the United States, having lobed leaves and clusters of small, yellow flowers.
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
-
any of several yellow-flowered plants of the related genus Barbarea , esp B. vulgaris
-
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
-
another name for dame's violet
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
-
-
informal a severe reprimand (esp in the phrase get a rocket )
verb
-
(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 rapidly
he rocketed to the top
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
rocketsimple
-
rocketssimple
-
have rocketedperfect
-
has rocketedperfect
-
am rocketingprogressive
-
are rocketingprogressive
-
is rocketingprogressive
-
have been rocketingperfect progressive
-
has been rocketingperfect progressive
Past
-
rocketedsimple
-
had rocketedperfect
-
was rocketingprogressive
-
were rocketingprogressive
-
had been rocketingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rocket1
First recorded in 1560–70; from Italian rocchetta, diminutive of rocca “distaff” (with reference to its shape); from Germanic
Origin of rocket2
First recorded in 1525–35; from French roquette, from Italian ruchetta, ultimately from Latin ērūca kind of herb
Explanation
A rocket is a space vehicle or missile, or the special engine that's meant to propel such a vehicle into the air. You can even get a model rocket that's small enough to shoot off in your backyard. A rocket or rocket engine uses thrust to propel something toward the sky, whether it's a spacecraft that will orbit the Earth or a bottle rocket that will explode overhead. You can use the word as a verb, too, to mean "move or rise up rapidly": "The startled pheasant rocketed out of the brush and disappeared into the trees." It can also be used figuratively to mean "increase rapidly": "The company's stock price rocketed after the announcement of the new CEO."
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.
See Examples For:
Independent scientists said it appears a SpaceX rocket, about the size of a school bus, has crashed into the moon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
SpaceX shares dropped more than broader market indexes Thursday after Elon Musk said a big rocket operation was still months away.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
The rocket stage had previously launched in January 2025 as part of the Firefly Blue Ghost 1 mission.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
SpaceX shares fell 2.6% Wednesday to close at under $140, as the startup LandSpace landed the first stage of its Zhueque-3 rocket on a launchpad, a first for a Chinese company.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Rocket fuel burns in the engine and is sent out the back of the rocket, driving the spaceship forward, just as the rush of air out of a balloon sends it flying around the room.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Despite its heady valuation, SpaceX is the dominant player in both reusable commercial rockets and global satellite internet.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
The former reality TV star capped the evening with flyovers by military jets followed by a world record firework display featuring 850,000 rockets in 40 minutes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
The techniques vary: either seeding rockets are burned to release a plume of particles, or the saline solution is sprayed directly into the cloud for greater precision.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
“And there’s a reason for it because, let me tell you, what rockets desperately want to do every flight: They desperately want to blow themselves into tiny pieces.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
It seemed to me, considering all the rockets that I read about blowing up down at Cape Canaveral, that was the way Wernher von Braun and the other rocket scientists did their work too.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
She rocketed to stardom with starring roles on “Heroes” and “Nashville,” where she played up-and-coming country star Juliette Barnes opposite Connie Britton.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
Its shares rocketed higher in 2020 and early 2021 as retail investors turned the company into one of the original meme stocks, but they’re off nearly 80% from their highest point of that era.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Between 2005 and 2025, the number of overnight stays rocketed from 8.8 million to 20.1 million.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Then, two batters later, reliever Kyle Hurt threw a four-seam fastball down the middle of the plate, and Machado rocketed the pitch to the center field wall beyond the grasp of a leaping Pages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Then the boat’s nose turned toward the tunnel and we rocketed through into the darkness.
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
Nothing will slow the object down, like the atmosphere would do here on Earth - and nothing will prevent the estimated million kilograms in debris from rocketing up into space.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Iran badly needs soybeans to feed cattle amid rocketing prices for dairy and meat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The waterway is a critical route for energy transit, sending oil prices rocketing.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
See more: Space stocks are rocketing as SpaceX keeps making pre-IPO headlines with first Starship launch.
From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026
It pierced the aluminum floor of the cabin; there was a shrill yell, and the machine went rocketing up into the air with all the acceleration that its super-charger could give it.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
