rockabilly

noun

rock·​a·​bil·​ly ˈrä-kə-ˌbi-lē How to pronounce rockabilly (audio)
: popular music marked by features of rock and country music

Examples of rockabilly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The presentation is pure camp, delivered with schlocky B-horror movie flair, dozens of pop culture references, and tributes to different rock genres in the form of trope-y boss fights with parodies of punks, rockabillies, and so on. Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2024 Charlie Gracie, an early rockabilly singer and guitarist who influenced a generation of 1960s rock stars has died at 86. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 19 Dec. 2022 Lewis was notable for bridging Southern rockabilly music with soul and rock and roll. Vulture, 28 Oct. 2022 Don’t miss the rockabilly sounds of Reverend Horton Heat, Justin Pickard and the Thunderbird Winos, Lance Lipinski and Jimmy Dale Richardson on July 16. Nicole Cormier, Dallas News, 7 July 2022 See all Example Sentences for rockabilly 

Word History

Etymology

rock entry 2 + -a- (as in rock-a-bye, phrase used to put a child to sleep) + hillbilly

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rockabilly was in 1956

Dictionary Entries Near rockabilly

Cite this Entry

“Rockabilly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rockabilly. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on rockabilly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!