rocker

American  

[rok-er] / ˈrɒk ər /

noun

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

2. rocking chair.

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

4. a rock-'n'-roll song.

   She sang a ballad and followed that with two of her well-known rockers.

5. any of various devices that operate with a rocking motion.

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

7. Mining. cradle.

8. an ice skate that has a curved blade.

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idioms

1. off one's rocker, insane; crazy.

   You're off your rocker if you think I'm going to climb that mountain.

rocker British  

/ ˈrɒkə /

noun

1. any of various devices that transmit or operate with a rocking motion See also rocker arm

2. another word for rocking chair

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

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

5. mining another word for cradle

6. 1. an ice skate with a curved blade

   2. the curve itself

7. skating

   1. a figure consisting of three interconnecting circles

   2. a half turn in which the skater turns through 180°, so facing about while continuing to move in the same direction

8. a rock-music performer, fan, or song

9. an adherent of a youth movement rooted in the 1950s, characterized by motorcycle trappings Compare mod 1

10. slang crazy; demented

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rocker More Idioms  

1. see off one's head (rocker).

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Usage

What does rocker mean? A rocker is a type of cradle for babies that’s used to gently rock them from side to side to calm them down or get them to fall asleep. It should not be confused with a bouncer, which is a kind of seat that allows older babies to stand up and bounce up and down. Rocker can also be used as another name for a rocking chair, or one of the two curved pieces on which it sits that allow it to rock back and forth. Such pieces are also found on other kinds of furniture, such as cradles. They can also be called runners. Rocker can refer to a rock musician, a fan of rock music, or a rock song that especially rocks (meaning it’s an intense example of the hard-driving beat and other qualities associated with rock music, all turned up to 11). These senses of the word can sound a bit outdated. Rocker is also used in the phrase off one’s rocker, which means about the same thing as out of one’s mind—delusional or completely irrational. Example: It’s a miracle how well this rocker works at getting my baby to calm down—thanks, Lemmy!

Etymology

Origin of rocker

1400–50; late Middle English: one who rocks a cradle; see rock ², -er ¹

Explanation

A rocker is a chair that can move gently forward and backward, or a rocker is someone who appreciates rock and roll music. You could be a rocker who rocks your rocker to the beat of Guns N' Roses. Rock on! You can also call a rocker a rocking chair. When a person is a rocker, they might be "someone who rocks in a rocking chair," but it's more likely that they're in a rock and roll band. Some rockers don't perform rock music, but they love it: "My dad was a total punk rocker back in the 80s." The chair meaning is from 18803 American English, while the rock and roll meaning originated in the 1960s.

Example Sentences

Few automobile exteriors are ever finished like this, with its broad, sterling-like chrome garnishes at the lower grille intakes, the rocker panels, exhaust outlets and bumpers, all smoothed perfectly into the blown-glass curvatures.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026

This rocking chair is equal parts dramatic and functional, featuring a stacked cylinder back, rocker frame and arm rests in a black glossy finish.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

Dad rocker Phil Collins and reformed Britpop princes Oasis led the 2026 class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who were announced on live US television on Monday.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

He references a famously chaotic interaction between late British rocker Ozzy Osbourne and F1 reporter Martin Brundle on a live TV grid walk at a race in 2003.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

As in the memory of a dream she saw herself entering the house as a very small girl, with the trunk and the little rocker, and a bag whose contents she had never known.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Related Words

• armchair
• bench
• recliner