- rock
- [[t]rɒ̱k[/t]]
♦♦rocks, rocking, rocked1) N-UNCOUNT Rock is the hard substance which the Earth is made of.
The hills above the valley are bare rock...
A little way below the ridge was an outcrop of rock that made a rough shelter.
2) N-COUNT A rock is a large piece of rock that sticks up out of the ground or the sea, or that has broken away from a mountain or a cliff.She sat cross-legged on the rock.
...the sound of the sea crashing against the rocks...
He and two friends were climbing a rock face when they heard cries for help.
3) N-COUNT A rock is a piece of rock that is small enough for you to pick up.She bent down, picked up a rock and threw it into the trees.
Syn:4) V-ERG When something rocks or when you rock it, it moves slowly and regularly backwards and forwards or from side to side.[V prep/adv] His body rocked from side to side with the train...
[V prep/adv] He stood a few moments, rocking back and forwards on his heels...
[V n] She sat on the porch and rocked the baby. [Also V]
5) V-ERG If an explosion or an earthquake rocks a building or an area, it causes the building or area to shake. [JOURNALISM][V n] Three people were injured yesterday when an explosion rocked one of Britain's best known film studios.
[V n] ...a country that's rocked by dozens of earthquakes every year...
As the buildings rocked under heavy shell-fire, he took refuge in the cellars.
Syn:6) VERB If an event or a piece of news rocks a group or society, it shocks them or makes them feel less secure. [JOURNALISM][V n] His death rocked the fashion business.
[V n] ...the latest scandal to rock the monarchy...
[V n] Wall Street was rocked by the news and shares fell 4.3 per cent by the end of trading.
Syn:7) N-UNCOUNT: oft N n Rock is loud music with a strong beat that is usually played and sung by a small group of people using instruments such as electric guitars and drums.He once told an interviewer that he didn't even like rock music.
...a rock concert.
...famous rock stars.
8) N-UNCOUNT Rock is a sweet that is made in long, hard sticks and is often sold in towns by the sea in Britain....a stick of rock.
9) PHRASE: PHR after v If you are caught between a rock and a hard place, you are in a difficult situation where you have to choose between two equally unpleasant courses of action.10) PHRASE: usu n PHR If you have an alcoholic drink such as whisky on the rocks, you have it with ice cubes in it.I could do with a Scotch on the rocks.
Syn:with ice11) PHRASE: v-link PHR If something such as a marriage or a business is on the rocks, it is experiencing very severe difficulties and looks likely to end very soon.She confided to her mother six months ago that her marriage was on the rocks...
Our film industry is on the rocks.
English dictionary. 2008.
