Meaning & use
rock
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The hard natural material that forms part of the earth's surface, or a large piece of it.
Grammar: Uncountable for the material (solid rock), countable for pieces (a rock).
Patterns
- a piece of rock
- a rock on something
The cliff is made of solid rock.
He picked up a rock and threw it into the lake.
Climbers clung to the sharp rocks.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To move gently backward and forward or from side to side, or to make something do this.
Grammar: With an object (rock the baby) or without (the boat rocked).
Patterns
- rock someone to sleep
- rock back and forth
She rocked the baby to sleep.
The boat rocked in the waves.
He rocked back on his chair.
noununcountablemusic
A style of popular music with a strong beat, played mostly on electric guitars and drums.
Grammar: No plural: she loves rock.
Patterns
- rock band
- rock music
My brother plays in a rock band.
Rock was loud and exciting when it first appeared.
They listen to classic rock on the radio.
verbtransitive
To shock, upset, or disturb someone or something strongly.
Grammar: Takes an object: the news rocked the town.
Patterns
- rock something
The scandal rocked the government.
An earthquake rocked the region.
Her death rocked the whole school.
verbintransitiveslang
To be excellent or impressive.
Grammar: Informal, no object: that band rocks!
Patterns
- something rocks
Your new haircut rocks!
This game totally rocks.
Our team rocked at the contest.
Word forms
| plural | rocks |
|---|---|
| third person singular | rocks |
| past tense | rocked |
| past participle | rocked |
| -ing form | rocking |
Common combinations
- solid rock
- The tunnel was cut through solid rock.
- rock climbing
- We went rock climbing on Saturday.
- rock the boat
- Don't rock the boat before the vote.
- rock and roll
- They danced to rock and roll.
- rock bottom
- His savings hit rock bottom.
- between a rock and a hard place
- I was between a rock and a hard place.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stone
- Stone is usually smaller and used for building or throwing, while rock is also the general material.
- boulder
- A boulder is a very large rock, often rounded.
- sway
- Sway means to swing slowly, but rock suggests a firmer back-and-forth.
- shock
- Shock means to surprise or upset, while rock suggests shaking something stable.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: rock or stone?
rock vs stone
In careful use, stone is smaller and shaped for use, and rock is the natural mass.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'rock' as a verb?
Choose one answer.
In 'The cradle rocked softly' it is a verb meaning to move back and forth. The other options use rock as a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rock”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.