rock star

noun

plural rock stars

1

: a famous rock musician

From my standpoint, from '72 to '76, I was the ultimate rock star. I couldn't have been more of a rock star. Anything that had to do with being a rock 'n' roll singer was what I was going for.

—David Bowie

He's what I always thought rock stars should be: sexy, dangerous, outrageous, and funny. And at least a little self-aware.

—Doug Brod

2

: a highly accomplished and well-regarded person in a particular field

Locals came streaming across a muddy construction site on the Cooper River to catch a glimpse of the rock star of politics.

—Howard Fineman

The Colchester Boards of Selectmen, Finance and Education are the rock stars of our town's elected government.

—Jason Cohen

For the agency, whose mission is building soil health, Brandt [David Brandt, farmer] has emerged as a kind of rock star. He's a "step ahead of the game."

—Tom Philpott

Pale-faced and bespectacled, the 43-year-old Chudzinski is an emerging rock star in NFL coaching circles.

—David G Fleming

… the day of the celebrity chef is seriously upon us. Chefs have become the rock stars of their generation, and we all long to know them better.

—Ruth Reichl

Examples of rock star in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Throughout the evening, the performer (aka Joanna Levesque, looking like a true rock star in matching black leather pants and a jacket) had the respectful and considerate audience in the palm of her hand. —Britt Julious, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2025

Ramsay is, like Andrea Arnold, something of a rock star in the British independent scene, but that renown has never translated into Oscar nominations. —Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2025

This advice from the God of Thunder, a man who spent five decades encased in face paint, dragon boots and the battle armor of a rock star, might sound contradictory. —Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025

Then in 2012 Grace came out as a transgender woman, in what Rolling Stone called a first for a major rock star. —Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rock star

• adar
• afar
• ajar
• alar
• ansar
• bazaar
• bizarre
• boxcar
• boyar
• bulbar
• cachar
• cigar