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• hard rock
  hard rock

  noun

  the original form of rock-'n'-roll, basically dependent on a consistently loud and strong beat.
• hard-rock
  hard-rock

  adjective

  (loosely) of or relating to igneous or metamorphic rocks, as in mining hard-rock mining and geology hard-rock geology.

hard rock

¹ American  

noun

hard rocks plural

1. the original form of rock-'n'-roll, basically dependent on a consistently loud and strong beat.

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hard-rock ² American  

[hahrd-rok] / ˈhɑrdˌrɒk /

adjective

1. (loosely) of or relating to igneous or metamorphic rocks, as in mining hard-rock mining and geology hard-rock geology.

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hard rock British  

noun

1. music a rhythmically simple and usually highly amplified style of rock and roll

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hard rocker
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hard rocks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hard rock¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Origin of hard-rock²

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hard rock hard-rock

Their music was a blend of blues rock and hard rock with elements of cabaret.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

The Tanbreez project holds 45 million tons of rare earth hard rock deposits, with a pilot plant program starting in May.

From Barron's ● Apr. 17, 2026

Most of the fossil remains encased in hard rock, and manually removing it could take years.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 1, 2026

Pop culture seemed ready to welcome back a breed of hitmaker thought lost to time — the sleeve-tatted, throat-shredding hard rock star.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026

They camped in a dry gully bordered by a tangle of shrubs, and took shifts dozing on the hard rock ground and keeping watch.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

The project is marked by a return to the group’s heavy-metal and hard-rock roots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Meanwhile, Jason Momoa swaggers into the fray from the cover of an ’80s hard-rock album with Kiss’ makeup, Manowar’s muscles and Meatloaf’s motorcycle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

Morgan Wallen, the reigning king of commercial country, blends hip-hop, hard-rock and honky-tonk in his music.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025

The drummer and lyricist for beloved Canadian hard-rock trio Rush was widely considered one of rock’s most skilled instrumentalists.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2025

Mixed in with all the college students and farm boys and out- of-work loggers, there were grizzled hard-rock miners from all over the West.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown