• (RP) IPA: /ɹɒk/
• (America) enPR: rŏk, IPA: /ɹɑk/
• (Australia) IPA: /ɹɔk/

From Middle English rocke, rokke, from Old English *rocc, as in Old English stānrocc, and also later from Anglo-Norman roche, (compare Modern French roc, roche, rocher), from Medieval Latin rocca (attested 767), of uncertain origin, sometimes said to be of Celtic (in particular, perhaps Gaulish -) origin (compare Breton roc'h).

rock

1. A formation of minerals, specifically:
   1. (uncountable) The naturally occurring aggregate of solid mineral matter that constitutes a significant part of the earth's crust.

      The face of the cliff is solid rock.

   2. A mass of stone projecting out of the ground or water.

      The ship crashed on the rocks.

   3. (chiefly British) A boulder or large stone; or (US, Canada) a smaller stone; a pebble.

      Some fool has thrown a rock through my window.

   4. (geology) Any natural material with a distinctive composition of minerals.
   5. (slang) A precious stone or gem, especially a diamond.

      Look at the size of that rock on her finger!

2. A large hill or island having no vegetation.

   Pearl Rock near Cape Cod is so named because the morning sun makes it gleam like a pearl.

3. (figuratively) Something that is strong, stable, and dependable; a person who provides security or support to another.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Matthew 16:18 ↗:

     And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

   • 1991, Robert Harling and Andrew Bergman, Soapdish, Paramount Pictures,

     Celeste Talbert: She is my rock, my right hand.

4. A lump or cube of ice.

   I'll have a whisky on the rocks, please.

5. (British, uncountable) A type of confectionery made from sugar in the shape of a stick, traditionally having some text running through its length.

   While we're in Brighton, let's get a stick of rock!

6. (US, slang) A crystallized lump of crack cocaine.

   Synonyms: crack rock, candy

7. (US, slang) An unintelligent person, especially one who repeats mistakes.
8. (South Africa, slang, derogatory) An Afrikaner.
9. (US poker slang) An extremely conservative player who is willing to play only the very strongest hands.
10. Any of several fish:
    1. The striped bass.
    2. The huss or rock salmon.

       We ordered rock and chips to take away.

11. (US, basketball, slang) A basketball.

    Yo homie, pass the rock!

12. (US, baseball, slang) A mistake.
    • 2014, Joe Morgan, Richard Lally, Baseball For Dummies, page 227:

      Now, you should never make the last out of an inning at third, and when a player does it, everyone knows he pulled a rock.

13. (curling) Synonym of stone.
14. (rock paper scissors) A closed hand (a handshape resembling a rock), that beats scissors and loses to paper. It beats lizard and loses to Spock in rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock.
15. (informal, cricket) A cricket ball, especially a new one that has not been softened by use
16. (CB radio slang) A crystal used to control the radio frequency.
    • 1980, Joseph J. Carr, The Complete Handbook of Radio Receivers, page 199:

      It was easily possible to double the cost of a CB rig just by adding all of the "rocks" necessary to do the job.

• (natural mineral aggregate) stone
• (projecting mass of rock) cliff
• (boulder or large stone) boulder, pebble, stone
• (something strong, stable, and dependable) foundation, support
• (precious stone or gem) gem, diamond
• (lump of ice) ice, ice cube
• (crystallized lump of crack cocaine) crack
• (Afrikaner) Afrikaner
• bedrock

• French: roche, roc, pierre
• German: Fels, Gestein
• Italian: roccia
• Portuguese: rocha, pedra
• Russian: го́рная) поро́да
• Spanish: piedra, roca

• French: rocher
• German: Felsen, Fels, Klippe
• Italian: roccia
• Portuguese: rocha
• Russian: скала́
• Spanish: roca, peñasco

• French: rocher, roc
• German: Felsbrocken, Felsblock, (erratic) Findling, Fels
• Italian: roccia
• Portuguese: rocha
• Russian: ка́мень
• Spanish: peña

• German: Klippe, Felsen, Schäre
• Portuguese: rochedo
• Russian: скала́

• German: Fels, Fels in der Brandung
• Russian: опо́ра

• German: Gestein
• Russian: поро́да

• French: caillou, diam (diamond)
• German: Klunker
• Portuguese: pedra
• Russian: (драгоценный) камень
• Spanish: piedra preciosa, piedra

• Portuguese: cubo de gelo, cubo
• Russian: (on the rocks) со льдом

• French: sucre d'orge
• German: Kandiszucker, Zuckerstange
• Russian: ледене́ц

• Russian: крэк
• Spanish: piedra

• Russian: тупи́ца

• Russian: африка́ндер

• French: pierre

From Middle English rokken, from Old English roccian, from Proto-West Germanic *rokkōn, from Proto-Germanic *rukkōną (compare obsolete Dutch rokken, Middle High German rocken, Modern German rücken, Icelandic rukka), from Proto-Germanic *rukkōną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ruknéh₂ti, from *h₃rewk-, *h₃runk- (compare Latin runcāre, Latvian rũķēt).

rock (rocks, present participle rocking; simple past and past participle rocked)

1. (transitive and intransitive) To move gently back and forth.

   Rock the baby to sleep.

   The empty swing rocked back and forth in the wind.

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC ↗:

     To Edward […] he was terrible, nerve-inflaming, poisonously asphyxiating. He sat rocking himself in the late Mr. Churchill's swing chair, smoking and twaddling.

2. (transitive) To cause to shake or sway violently.

   Don't rock the boat.

   • 1700, [John] Dryden, “Theodore and Honoria, from Boccace”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC ↗:

     A rising earthquake rocked the ground.

3. (intransitive) To sway or tilt violently back and forth.

   The boat rocked at anchor.

4. (transitive and intransitive, of ore etc.) To be washed and panned in a cradle or in a rocker.

   The ores had been rocked and laid out for inspection.

5. (transitive) To disturb the emotional equilibrium of; to distress; to greatly impact (most often positively).

   Downing Street has been rocked by yet another sex scandal.

   She rocked my world.

6. (intransitive) To do well or to be operating at high efficiency.
7. (intransitive, stative) To be cool.

   That band rocks!

8. (slang, ambitransitive, euphemistic) To make love to or have sex (with).

   I wanna rock!

9. (intransitive) To sway one's body as a stim.

• (move gently back and forth) waver; see also Thesaurus:sway
• (cause to shake violently) agitate, trouble
• (sway violently back and forth) judder; see also Thesaurus:shake
• (do well) cook with gas, flourish
• (be good) rules
• (have sex with) go to bed with, hit, sleep with; see also Thesaurus:copulate with

• French: remuer, (babies) bercer
• German: schwanken, schaukeln, (baby) wiegen
• Italian: cullare, ondeggiare, trastullare
• Portuguese: embalar, balançar
• Russian: кача́ть
• Spanish: mecer, acunar

• French: secouer, (boat) faire tanguer
• Portuguese: balançar, abalar
• Russian: кача́ть

• German: schaukeln, (nautical) stampfen
• Italian: cullare
• Portuguese: balançar, abalar
• Russian: кача́ться

• French: bouleverser
• German: aufwühlen, schockieren
• Portuguese: balançar, abalar
• Russian: потряса́ть

rock (plural rocks)

1. An act of rocking; a rocking motion; a sway.

• French: secousse

Shortened from rock and roll.

rock (uncountable)

1. A style of music characterized by basic drum-beat, generally 4/4 riffs, based on (usually electric) guitar, bass guitar, drums, keyboards (often), and vocals.

• French: rock
• German: Rock
• Italian: rock
• Portuguese: rock
• Russian: рок
• Spanish: rock

rock (rocks, present participle rocking; simple past and past participle rocked)

1. (intransitive) To play, perform, or enjoy rock music, especially with a lot of skill or energy.

   Let's rock!

2. (intransitive, slang) To be very favourable or skilful; excel; be fantastic.

   Synonyms: rule

   Antonyms: stink, suck

   Chocolate rocks.

   My holidays in Ibiza rocked! I can't wait to go back.

3. (transitive) To thrill or excite, especially with rock music.

   Let's rock this joint!

4. (intransitive) To have people dancing and enjoying rock music.
5. (transitive) To do something with excitement yet skillfully.

   I need to rock a piss.

6. (transitive) To wear (a piece of clothing, outfit etc.) successfully or with style; to carry off (a particular look, style).

   Synonyms: sport

• rock and roll

• German: rocken
• Italian: suonare il rock
• Spanish: rockear, roquear

• French: gérer, assurer, déchirer
• German: rocken (but usually the English term is used)
• Russian: рули́ть
• Spanish: molar

• German: aufmischen

From Middle English rok, rocke, rokke, perhaps from Middle Dutch rocke (whence Dutch rokken), Middle Low German rocken, or Old Norse rokkr (whence Icelandic - / Faroese rokkur, Danish rok, Swedish spinnrock).

rock

1. (countable) Distaff.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC ↗, stanza 48:

     Sad Clotho held the rocke, the whiles the thread / By grisly Lachesis was spun with pain, / That cruel Atropos eftsoon undid.

2. (uncountable) The flax or wool on a distaff.

rock (plural rocks)

1. Archaic form of roc (mythical bird)

1. Surname for someone living near a rock or an oak ( atter + oke ).
2. A male given name.
3. A number of places in England:
   1. A coastal village in St Minver Lowlands, north (OS grid ref SW9375).
   2. A hamlet in Membury, East Devon (OS grid ref ST2702).
   3. A village in Rennington, northern (OS grid ref NU2020).
   4. A hamlet in Curry Mallet, South Somerset (OS grid ref ST3222).
   5. A hamlet in Washington, Horsham (OS grid ref TQ1214).
   6. A village/and/cpar in Wyre Forest (OS grid ref SO7371).
4. A place in Wales:
   1. A hamlet in Blackwood, Caerphilly (OS grid ref ST1898).
   2. A hamlet north-east of Cwmavon (OS grid ref SS7993).
5. The Rock, a village south-west of Cookstown.
6. A number of places in USA:
   1. An unincorporated community in Cowley County, Kansas.
   2. An unincorporated community in Maple Ridge, Delta County.
   3. An unincorporated community in Mercer County, West Virginia.
   4. A town in Rock County, Wisconsin.
   5. A town in Wood County, Wisconsin.
   6. A number of townships in the USA, listed under Rock Township.
7. the Rock
   1. (preceded by "the" or "The") Nickname of Gibraltar.
   2. (Australia, preceded by "the" or "The") Nickname of Uluru.
   3. (preceded by "the" or "The") Nickname of the prison on Alcatraz Island, USA.
   4. (Canada, preceded by "the" or "The") Nickname of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.