rock and roll

Meaning

Noun

1. (uncountable) A genre of popular music that evolved in the 1950s from a combination of rhythm and blues and country music, characterized by electric guitars, strong rhythms, and youth-oriented lyrics.
2. (uncountable) A style of vigorous dancing associated with this genre of music.
3. (attributive, especially, uncountable) An intangible feeling, philosophy, belief or allegiance relating to rock music, characterized by unbridled enthusiasm, hedonism, and cynical regard for authoritarian bodies.
4. (Cockney, slang, uncountable) Dole, payment by the state to the unemployed.
5. (US, slang, uncountable) The full automatic fire capability selection on a selective fire weapon.
6. (uncountable) The ability to run the picture and audio back and forth in synchronization, allowing the correction of mistakes during dubbing.

Verb

1. (dated, euphemistic, slang) To have sex.
2. To play rock and roll music.
3. To start, commence, begin, get moving; move along with a rocking, rolling motion.

Synonyms

rock’n’roll

rock

🪨

rock music

rock ’n’ roll

rock 'n' roll

rock-and-roll

start

begin

commence

Translations

rock and roll

rocanrol

iniziare

començar

empezar

ροκ εντ ρολ

anfangen

Rock

rock and roll

commencer

rock and roll

rock

🪨

rock and roll

rock

🪨

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɹɒk ən(d)ˈɹəʊl/

Etymology

From rock (move back and forth) + and + roll; originally a verb phrase common among African Americans, meaning "to have sexual intercourse"; it was an euphemism that appeared in song titles since at least 1914 (Trixie Smith's "My Man Rocks Me With One Steady Roll").
As a name for a specific style of popular music from the early 1950s, popularized by disc jockey Alan Freed in reference to the euphemistic use in song titles.