rockˈiness noun

rockˈlike adjective

rockˈling noun

A small fish of the cod family with barbels on both jaws

rockˈy adjective

1. Full of rocks
2. Made of rocks
3. Like rocks
4. Rough, difficult (informal)

rockˈ-alum noun

Alum prepared from alunite

rockˈ-badger noun

1. The Cape hyrax
2. A dassie

rockˈ-basin noun

A lacustrine hollow in rock, excavated by glacier-ice

rock bass noun

A freshwater game fish (Ambloplites rupestris) of eastern N America

rockˈ-bird noun

A puffin or other bird that nests or lives on rocks

rock boots or rock shoes plural noun

Tight-fitting boots or shoes with rubber soles, designed for climbing

rock borer noun

Any mollusc or other animal that bores into rocks

rock bottom noun

1. Bedrock
2. The very bottom, esp of poverty or despair

rockˈ-bottˈom adjective

1. The lowest possible
2. To, or at, the lowest possible level

rockˈ-bound adjective

1. Hemmed in by rock
2. Rocky

rock brake noun

Parsley fern

rock breaker noun

A machine for breaking stones

rock butter noun

A butter-like exudation from rocks, containing alum

rock cake noun

A small hard bun with irregular top

rock candy noun (N American)

Rock (the confectionery)

rock climber noun

rock climbing noun

Mountaineering on rocky faces

rock cod noun

1. A cod found on rocky sea-bottoms
2. A name for various Australian and other fishes, mostly of the sea-bass family

rock cook noun

The small-mouthed wrasse

rock cork noun

Mountain cork

rock cress noun

A cruciferous plant of the genus Arabis

rock crystal noun

Colourless quartz, esp when well crystallized

rock dove noun

A pigeon that nests on rocks, source of the domestic varieties

rock drill noun

A tool for boring rock

rock elm noun

An elm of N America with a corky bark

Rock English noun

The Gibraltar dialect

rockˈfall noun

1. A fall of rock
2. A mass of fallen rock

Rock fever noun

Undulant fever (from Gibraltar)

rockˈfish noun

1. Any of various types of fish that live among rocks or rocky bottoms
2. Applied as a name to several such fishes, such as wrasse, striped bass, black goby
3. Rock salmon

rock flour noun

Finely divided rock material, such as is found under glaciers

rockˈ-forming adjective

Occurring as a dominant constituent of rocks

rock garden noun

1. A rockery
2. A garden containing rockeries

rock guano noun

A rock phosphatized by percolations from guano

rockˈ-hewn adjective

Hewn out of rock

rockˈhopper noun

A small crested penguin

rock house noun (slang)

A crack- or cocaine-dealer's den

rock lark noun

The rock pipit

rock leather noun

Mountain leather

rock lizard see rock scorpion below.

rock lobster see under lobster

rock melon noun (Aust)

The cantaloupe

rock oil noun

Petroleum

rock perch noun

A scorpion-fish

rock pigeon noun

The rock dove

rock pipit noun

A pipit inhabiting rocky coasts

rock plant noun

A plant adapted to growing on or among rocks

rock rabbit noun

1. A hyrax
2. A pika

rockˈ-ribbed adjective (N American)

Unyielding

rock rose noun

A plant of either of the genera Cistus and Helianthemum of the family Cistaceae

rock salmon, rock turbot noun

Dogfish or wolffish when being sold as food-fish

rock salt noun

1. Salt as a mineral, halite
2. Salt in crystalline form

rock shoes see rock boots above.

rock scorpion noun

A person born in Gibraltar (also rock lizard)

rock snake noun

1. A python
2. A krait

rock socks plural noun

An orig Japanese form of rubber socks, with a separate big-toe section, worn for walking over rocks, coral, etc

rockˈ-solˈid adjective

1. Steady
2. Dependable
3. Firm
4. Unwavering
5. Unbeatable

rock sparrow noun

A genus (Petronia) related to the true sparrow

rock-steadˈy adjective

Absolutely steady

rock tar noun

Petroleum

rock temple noun

A temple hewn out of the solid rock

rock tripe noun

An edible arctic lichen of various kinds

rock violet noun

A violet-scented alga growing on mountain rocks

rockˈwater noun

Water issuing from a rock

rockˈweed noun

Bladderwrack or related seaweed growing on rocks

rock wood noun

A wood-like asbestos

rock wool noun

Mineral wool, used as an insulating material

rockˈwork noun

1. Masonry in imitation of rock (architecture)
2. Rocks in a rockery
3. Rock climbing

between a rock and a hard place

In a situation where one has to choose between two equally undesirable alternatives

get one's rocks off

1. To have an orgasm (vulgar sl)
2. To derive excitement (slang)

have rocks in one's head (US sl)

To lack brains

on the rocks

1. Penniless
2. (of whisky, etc) on ice
3. (of a marriage) broken down, failed

Rocky Mountain goat

A white N American animal intermediate between goat and antelope

the Rock

Gibraltar

the Rockies

The Rocky Mountains

rock² /rok/

transitive verb and intransitive verb

1. To sway to and fro, tilt from side to side
2. To startle, stagger (informal)
3. To do, play, wear, etc very successfully (slang)

intransitive verb

1. To dance to rock'n'roll music
2. To play rock music in a powerful and compelling way
3. To be highly enjoyable, exciting or admirable (slang)

noun

1. A rocking movement
2. (also rock music) a form of music with a strong beat, which developed from rock'n'roll but which is more varied and often more complex in style, and less influenced by blues and country-and-western music
3. Rock'n'roll

adjective

Relating to rock music or rock'n'roll

rockˈer noun

1. Someone or something that rocks
2. A curved support on which anything rocks
3. A rocking horse
4. A rocking chair
5. (with cap) a member of a teenage faction of the 1960s who wore leather jackets, rode motorcycles, and were rivals of the Mods
6. A rock'n'roll song (informal)
7. A mining cradle
8. A skate with curved blade
9. A 180º-turn in skating, so that the skater continues backwards in the same direction
10. A mezzotint engraver's tool for preparing a surface

rockˈily adverb

rockˈiness noun

rockˈing noun and adjective

rockˈy adjective

1. Tending to rock
2. Shaky
3. Tipsy
4. Unpleasant, unsatisfactory (slang)

rockˈabilly noun

1. A form of rock'n'roll with elements of hillbilly music
2. A devotee of this music

rock and roll see rock'n'roll below.

rocker arm noun

A rocking lever, esp in an internal-combustion engine, that transmits the motion of a cam or pushrod to the valve

rocker panel noun

The part of a vehicle's bodywork below the door-sills of the passenger compartment

rocker switch noun

An electric light, etc switch on a central pivot, the bottom being pushed back to switch on, the top to switch off

rocking chair noun

A chair mounted on rockers

rocking horse noun

The figure of a horse mounted on rockers or on some other supports which allow the horse to rock when ridden by a child

rocking stone noun

A logan, or finely poised boulder that can be made to rock

rocking tool noun

An engraver's tool for roughing a plate

rockˈ'n'rollˈ or rock and roll noun

1. A simple form of music deriving from jazz, country-and-western and blues music, with a strongly accented, two-beat rhythm
2. Dancing to the music

intransitive verb

To play or dance to this music

rockˈ'n'rollˈer or rock and roller noun

rockˈshaft noun

In engines, a shaft that oscillates instead of revolving

rockˈsteady noun

A 1960s style of dance music, orig from Jamaica, slow in tempo with a heavily stressed offbeat

off one's rocker

Out of one's right mind

rock the boat

To make things difficult for one's colleagues, create trouble

rock up (informal)

To arrive without giving prior notification