rock
[noun]
stone, boulder
————————
[verb]
Synonyms:
- sway, lurch, pitch, reel, roll, swing, toss
- shock, astonish, astound, shake, stagger, stun, surprise

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Related Words: oscillate, sway, swing, undulate, quake, totter, tremble

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English Thesaurus: move, sway, rock, wobble, fidget, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. rock¹ S2 W2 /rɒk $ rɑːk/ noun
[Sense 1, 3-10: Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old North French; Origin: roque, from Vulgar Latin rocca]
[Sense 2: Date: 1900-2000; Origin: ⇒ rock²]

1. STONE
a) [uncountable] the hard substance that forms the main surface of the Earth ⇒ stone:
To build the tunnel, they had to cut through 500 feet of solid rock.
Most of the country is desert and bare rock.
massive rock formations (=shapes made naturally from rock)
ancient dark volcanic rock
b) [countable] a piece of rock, especially a large one that sticks up from the ground:
Jack stood on a rock for a better view.
During the storm a ship had been driven onto the rocks (=a line of rocks under or next to the sea).

2. MUSIC [uncountable] (also rock music) a type of popular modern music with a strong loud beat, played using guitars and drums
rock band/group
Komuro formed a rock band with some friends while in college.
the late rock star, Freddie Mercury
The stadium has hosted numerous rock concerts. ⇒ hard rock, ⇒ punk rock at punk(1)

3. (as) solid/steady as a rock
a) very strongly built or well supported and not likely to break or fall:
a large sofa, solid as a rock
b) someone who is as solid or steady as a rock is very strong and calm in difficult situations and you can depend on them ⇒ rock-solid

4. [singular] someone who always gives you support and who you can depend on:
My sister has always been my rock.

5. be on the rocks informal a relationship or business that is on the rocks is having a lot of problems and is likely to fail soon Synonym : in trouble:
I’m afraid Tim’s marriage is on the rocks.

6. scotch/vodka etc on the rocks informal an alcoholic drink that is served with ice but no water

7. SWEET FOOD [uncountable] British English a hard sweet made in long round pieces:
a stick of rock

8. DRUG
a) [uncountable] a very pure form of the illegal drug cocaine that some people use for pleasure
b) [countable] a small amount of this drug

9. be (stuck) between a rock and a hard place to have a choice between two things, both of which are unpleasant or dangerous

10. get your rocks off informal not polite if a man gets his rocks off, he has sex

11. JEWEL [countable usually plural] old-fashioned informal a diamond or other jewel

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. rock² verb
[Language: Old English; Origin: roccian]

1. [intransitive and transitive] to move gently backwards and forwards or from side to side, or to make something do this ⇒ sway:
She covered her face, rocking to and fro in her grief.
The waves rocked the boat from side to side.
Paul sat gently rocking the child in his arms.
Jim rocked with laughter when he heard what had happened.

2. [transitive]
a) to make the people in a place or organization feel very shocked – used in news reports Synonym : shake:
The scandal rocked the nation.
b) to make the future of something seem less certain or steady than it was before, especially because of problems or changes Synonym : shake:
Another financial blow has rocked the industry.
The theory rocked the foundations of social and moral life.

3. rock the boat informal to cause problems for other members of a group by criticizing something or trying to change the way something is done:
He kept his feelings to himself, not wanting to rock the boat.

4. [transitive] if an explosion or earthquake rocks an area, it makes it shake:
Residents had only a few minutes to escape before the blast rocked their houses.

5. somebody/something rocks spoken informal said to show that you strongly approve of someone or something

6. rock sb’s world informal to cause someone to think about something or someone in a completely new way

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

rock
noun
I. hard, stony part of the earth
ADJ. hard, solid Solid rock is broken down by weathering.
soft | jagged, rough | smooth | weathered | bare Ahead the vegetation broke into bare rock.
sheer, steep The river runs between walls of sheer rock.
overhanging | liquid, molten | igneous, sedimentary, volcanic | permeable, porous | impermeable
QUANT. chunk, lump, piece, slab
VERB + ROCK form
ROCK + VERB form rocks that formed beneath the sea
jut out A great rock jutted out into the sea.
ROCK + NOUN type | formation, structure | strata | ledge, outcrop | face, surface, wall | crevice | debris, fragment, sample | fall The path had been blocked by a rock fall.
crystal, salt | climber, climbing | pool Children were looking for crabs in the rock pools.
art, carvings | garden
PHRASES a layer of rock, an outcrop of rock The castle is perched on a massive outcrop of rock.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

rock
II. music
ADJ. live | country, glam, hard, heavy, indie, progressive, punk
ROCK + NOUN album, anthem, CD, music, number, record, song, video | band, group | concert, festival, gig | venue | circuit, scene one of the biggest bands on the rock circuit
drummer, guitarist, musician, singer, vocalist | guitar | hero, legend, star | culture, history
PHRASES rock and roll the king of rock and roll

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

rock
verb
ADV. violently The boat rocked violently in the huge waves.
gently, slightly She gently rocked the baby in her arms. The boat rocked slightly.
back and forth, backwards and forwards, from side to side, to and fro He rocked back and forth in his chair.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

rock

solid rock
Steps had been carved out of the solid rock.
bare rock (=not covered by soil)
Here there was only bare rock and gravel.
volcanic rock
The fossils are sandwiched between two layers of volcanic rock.
molten rock (=rock that is so hot it is liquid)
Molten rock flowed into these cracks.
a rock formation
There are marvellous views of impressive rock formations.
rock forms/is formed
From the texture of the rock we can tell how it was formed.
something erodes rock (=it gradually removes the surface of the rock)
Rainwater drained away, forming streams and rivers that began to erode the rock.
rock erodes (away) (=its surface is gradually removed because of the action of water, wind etc )
The rocks had eroded away over the years.
a lump/piece of rock
His leg was trapped under a large lump of rock.
a layer of rock
You can see six layers of rock in the cliff.
an outcrop of rock (=a mass of rock that sticks up above the ground)
The gulls nested on a outcrop of rock.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

move to go to a different place, or change the position of your body:
Sarah moved away from the window.
Every time I move I get a pain in my left shoulder.
sway to move slowly from one side to the other:
The branches swayed in the wind.
Donny swayed drunkenly as he walked back to his car.
rock to move repeatedly from one side to another, with small gentle movements:
He rocked backward and forward in his chair.
The boat rocked from side to side with the waves.
wobble to move unsteadily from side to side:
The bike wobbled a bit, but she soon got it under control.
fidget to keep moving or playing with your fingers, hands, feet etc, because you are bored or nervous:
Diana fidgeted nervously with her pencil.
squirm to make very small movements from side to side with your body, especially because you feel uncomfortable:
By the end of the hour, most of the children were squirming in their seats.
wriggle to make small movements from side to side, especially in order to get into or out of something:
The dog wriggled under the fence and escaped into the street.
She managed to wriggle into the dress, but it was much too tight.
twitch if part of your body twitches, it makes small movements that you cannot control:
A muscle on Yang’s face twitched.
stir written to make a movement – used especially when describing a situation in which no one moves, or someone wakes up:
In the village a dog barked but no one stirred
The sleeping child stirred and opened her eyes.
budge to move – used when you are trying hard to make something move, often without success:
The piano wouldn’t budge.
relocate to move to a different place – used about companies, organizations, and people who work for them:
NATO’s main headquarters relocated to Brussels.
Klein is relocating to London to head up the investment banking team.
still not moving – use this especially about people who are not moving, or about places where there is no wind:
There was no wind and the trees were completely still.
Keep still while I tie your shoes.
stationary not moving – use this about cars, trains, or objects:
The truck swerved and hit a stationary vehicle.
immobile not moving or not able to move, especially because of fear or tiredness:
As the disease progressed, she became increasingly immobile.
motionless completely still – used especially in literature:
Kemp sat motionless as the verdict was read.
calm not moving because there is no wind – use this about air and water:
The lake was calm.
be at a standstill if traffic is at a standstill it is not moving:
Traffic was at a standstill on the motorway.
make a move
We made the move mainly for financial reasons.
make no move
The government made no move to hold the promised elections.
welcome the move
Environmentalists welcomed the move to limit the length of fishing nets.
oppose a move
Union members have opposed the move.
support a move
The move was supported by the government.
a move is aimed at doing something/is designed to do something
The move is aimed at strengthening its business in the region.
an important move
I cannot decide on such an important move on my own.
a bold/daring move (=taking a lot of courage)
The writers made a bold move by kiling off the main character.
a good/smart/wise move (=sensible)
I’m not sure it was a good move giving him the job.
the right move
He hoped he had made the right move in telling his father.
an unprecedented move (=never having happened before)
Barcelona began the unprecedented move of shipping in drinking water.
sb’s next move (=the next thing someone does)
What should happen next? What’s our next move?
a bad move
It was a bad move letting him come here in the first place.
a false/wrong move (=made by mistake)
One wrong move and the business might never recover.
the first move
She waited for Michael to make the first move.
a career move (=a decision that will improve the type of job you can do)
It looked like a good career move, with the possibility of promotion later.
there are moves afoot to do something British English (=there are plans, especially secret ones, to do something)
There are moves afoot to change things.
a move in the right direction
The decision seemed to be a move in the right direction.
watch/follow sb’s every move
His eyes followed Cissy’s every move.
a sudden move
She made a sudden move towards me from the doorway.
action noun [countable] something that someone does:
He is responsible for his own actions.
They refused to give a reason for their actions.
act noun [countable] a particular type of action:
violent acts
⇒ act of violence/kindness/defiance etc:
I believe the killing was an act of desperation.
activities noun [plural] things that people do, especially for enjoyment or to achieve an aim:
leisure activities
political activities
Surveys may not give a true picture of people’s activities.
behaviour British English, behavior American English noun [uncountable] the things that someone does and the way they behave:
Do you think that advertisements really influence people’s behaviour?
The man’s behaviour seemed rather odd.
step noun [countable] one of a series of things that you do in order to deal with a problem or to succeed:
The first step is to make sure we have got funding for the project.
We must take steps to make sure that this does not happen again.
This is an important step towards peace.
measure noun [countable] an official action that is intended to deal with a particular problem:
There are increased security measures at airports.
The school was closed as a precautionary measure following a chemical leak.
gesture noun [countable] something that you do to show how you feel about someone or something:
Do you think it would be a nice gesture to send her some flowers?
⇒ gesture of goodwill/solidarity/defiance:
The company gave us £100 as a gesture of goodwill.
deed noun [countable] especially literary an action, especially one that is very good or very bad:
evil deeds
heroic deeds
This is my good deed for the day.
exploits noun [plural] formal exciting or brave actions:
daring exploits
His exploits were legendary.
feat noun [countable] something someone does that people admire because you need a lot of skill, courage, or strength to do it:
Completing a marathon is a remarkable feat for a six-year-old.
The bridge is a great feat of engineering.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

rock a piece of the hard substance that forms the main surface of the Earth. In British English, rocks are too large to pick up, but in American English, they can either be large or small:
the rocks along the riverbanks
stone a small piece of rock, found on the ground or near the surface of the ground. Speakers of American English are more likely to use the word rock than stone:
The children were throwing stones into the water.
boulder a large round piece of rock:
She climbed over a few boulders at the edge of the sea.
pebble a small smooth stone found especially on a beach or on the bottom of a river:
The beach was covered with smooth white pebbles.
fossil a rock which has the shape of an animal or plant that lived many thousands of years ago:
fossils of early reptiles

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

shake if a person or part of their body shakes, they make small sudden continuous movements from side to side or up and down, especially because they are very frightened, cold, ill etc:
Suddenly he started to shake. ‘Don’t ever scare me like that again!’ he whispered.
The poor girl was shaking.
shudder to shake for a short time, especially because you think of something very unpleasant, or because you feel frightened or cold:
Corbett shuddered when he thought of what might have happened to them.
I shuddered when I read the article.
He was still shuddering with the cold.
She clung to him, shuddering with emotion.
tremble to shake slightly in a way that you cannot control, especially because you are frightened, worried, or angry:
Ernest opened the letter in silence, his hands trembling.
Her whole body trembled with fear.
He hadn’t dared to move. He was trembling with shock.
‘I won’t be coming back,’ she said, her body trembling with anger.
shiver to shake slightly, especially only a few times, because you are cold or frightened:
She shivered, pulling her coat closer around herself.
You make me shiver when you talk like that.
quiver especially literary to shake slightly and continuously because you are very worried or excited – used especially about someone’s lips, mouth, or body:
Her bottom lip began to quiver, and she turned away to hide her tears.
Alice’s eyes began to fill with tears and her mouth quivered. ‘I 'm going away,’ she said.
wobble to move unsteadily from side to side:
Mrs Hamilton wobbled precariously on her high heels.
rock to move gently backwards and forwards or from side to side:
He rocked to and fro in his chair.
rattle to shake and make a noise:
The windows rattled in the wind.
The train was rattling over the bridge.
vibrate to shake continuously with small fast movements:
The music was so loud that the whole room vibrated.
The atoms vibrate at different frequencies.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

shake to move suddenly from side to side or up and down, usually with a lot of force:
The floor shook from a distant explosion.
The walls were still shaking.
The trees were shaking in the wind.
rattle to shake and make a noise:
The windows rattled in the wind.
The train was rattling over the bridge.
vibrate to shake continuously with small fast movements:
The music was so loud that the whole room vibrated.
The atoms vibrate at different frequencies.
wobble to move unsteadily from side to side:
The bike began to wobble alarmingly as she fought to control it.
The cup wobbled and he grabbed it to stop it from falling.
rock to move gently backwards and forwards or from side to side:
The trailer rocked in the wind.
The boat was rocking from side to side with the waves.
shudder (also judder especially British English) if a vehicle or machine shudders, it shakes for a short time.:
The lift shuddered then began to descend.
The engine shuddered into life (=it shook and then started working).
The car juddered to a halt (=it shook and then stopped) outside the house.
bang a loud sound caused especially when something hard or heavy hits something else:
I heard a loud bang and rushed out to see what had happened.
He slammed the door shut with a bang.
crash a very loud sound caused when something hits something else, especially when damage is caused:
The tray of dishes fell to the floor with a crash.
I heard an enormous crash outside our house, and I went to see what had happened.
thud a quiet low sound made when a heavy object falls down onto surface:
There was a dull thud as the box hit the floor.
His head hit the ground with a sickening thud.
thump a dull loud sound made when a heavy object hits something else:
There was a loud thump as Eddie threw Luther back against the wall.
clink a short ringing sound made when two glass, metal, or china objects hit each other:
the clink of champagne glasses
The clink of cutlery could be heard in the restaurant.
tinkle the pleasant sound that is made by light pieces of glass or metal hitting each other repeatedly:
He listened to the faint tinkle of cow bells in the distance.
jingle the sound of small metal objects being shaken together:
the jingle of her bracelets
the jingle of keys

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

rock
̈ɪrɔk
See: have rocks in one's head , on the rocks

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲