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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
With his long blond hair and high cheekbones, Tom Petty looked like a central-casting rock star. Al Shipley, SPIN, 1 Nov. 2024 Gwenda Blair, a longtime Trump biographer, noted the Garden is associated with rock stars, celebrities and fighters – playing into the larger-than-life image Trump cultivates. David Jackson, USA TODAY, 27 Oct. 2024 This movie was a foundational text for a generation, made all the more nostalgic by the fact that most of the young cast stayed out of the limelight afterward, forever preserved in our memories as pint-size rock stars (RIP, drummer Freddy). Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 25 Oct. 2024 This is all particularly noticeable because Manheim, Olivas, and Fritz are such a stark contrast, brimming with rock star energy and live-wire rage. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for rock star 

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rock star was in 1960

Dictionary Entries Near rock star

Cite this Entry

“Rock star.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rock%20star. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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