rocking chair

American

noun

a chair mounted on rockers or springs so as to permit a person to rock back and forth while sitting.

rocking chair British

noun

a chair set on curving supports so that the sitter may rock backwards and forwards

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

rocking chairs

plural

Etymology

Origin of rocking chair

An Americanism dating back to 1750–60

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’d rather have a big pile of Benjamins when I’m ready for my rocking chair.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 27, 2026

Maybe I should break out the rocking chair and reminisce on the career that was.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2025

"Some of us are just made that way. We are not made to sit in a rocking chair and knit," KlimaSeniorinnen member Elisabeth Stern, 76, told BBC News.

From Salon • Apr. 10, 2024

Asked about her commitment to the case for nine years, she said: "Some of us are just made that way. We are not made to sit in a rocking chair and knit."

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2024

Ophie looked at the rocking chair, which was the farthest chair away from the fire.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

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