rock and roll

1 of 2

noun

variants or rock 'n' roll
: popular music usually played on electronically amplified instruments and characterized by a persistent heavily accented beat, repetition of simple phrases, and often country, folk, and blues elements : rock entry 2 sense 2
If many older people had been suspicious of the jukebox in the early fifties, they were even more affronted by the success of rock and roll after 1954.Dominic Sandbrook
The industry has changed. Is it no longer sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll?AP News
often used before another noun
rock and roll legends/albums
… Jack is in his corset, Jane is in her vest. And me, I'm in a rock 'n' roll band …The Velvet Underground

rock and roll

2 of 2

verb

rocked and rolled; rocking and rolling; rock and rolls

intransitive verb

1
: to perform or dance to rock and roll music
Mark headed off to Liverpool over the weekend, where he did a little rocking and rolling.Paula Zahn
2
informal : to start out or get going energetically
He was wide awake and ready to rock and roll at 5:00 A.M.Gideon Wulff
… an overwhelming majority of the U.S. population has a primal desire to unfold a badass pair of shades, slide them onto their head … throw a jacket over their shoulder, and utter, "let's rock and roll."The Onion

Examples of rock and roll 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.
Noun
The stock market could really start to rock and roll. Brett Owens, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024 This has always been a project about observing and subverting traditions — folding rap and dance music into rock and roll, bringing pop sensibilities to metal, blending anime and anomie. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2024
Verb
Simone Jackson: The Underground Disco Icon The world of Daisy Jones & The Six isn’t all rock and roll. Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 6 Mar. 2023 Hedi Slimane, the current creative director of the French fashion house Celine, has always had a knack for the aesthetics of the rock and roll lifestyle: tight silhouettes here, leather there, and the use of large aviator sunglasses everywhere. Isiah Magsino, Town & Country, 6 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for rock and roll 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1954, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1956, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rock and roll was in 1954

Dictionary Entries Near rock and roll

Cite this Entry

“Rock and roll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rock%20and%20roll. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

rock-and-roll

noun

More from Merriam-Webster on rock and roll

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