1
as in swaying
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions
the boat was rocking so much that several passengers felt seasick
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in wobbling
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side
the drunk rocked on his heels for a moment and then fell flat on his back
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in stunning
to make senseless or dizzy by a blow
she rocked the mugger with a single punch and then ran
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in amazing
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
the news of the mayor's sudden death rocked the city
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rocking
Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2025
Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
At the same time Moss was rocking an earring and quoting Jeezy, Surtain was rounding into an All-American at Alabama.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2025
That exchange of motivation is what balances UF while the ship seems to be rocking.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Sienna Miller has been spotted rocking long boho blonde mermaid waves, while Suki Waterhouse has tried it out on her signature shaggy layers and bangs.
—Jeanne Ballion, Glamour, 11 Sep. 2025
When the Goo Goo Dolls, with opener Dashboard Confessional, played Berkeley’s Greek Theatre in September, the emo band’s frontman Chris Carrabba remarked on all the teenagers who were rocking vintage band tees in the crowd.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
The comments come two days after Israel launched strikes targeting senior Hamas political officials in Doha, rocking a residential neighborhood in the Qatari capital.
—Colin Meyn, The Hill, 11 Sep. 2025
The evening was packed with rocking performances, emotional tributes and an unexpected amount of love for therapists.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
The place would be rocking and certainly give the Jayhawks an edge going into the fourth quarter.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
The rest of the quintet — vocalist Dexter Holland, bassist Todd Morse, multi-instrumentalist Jonah Nimoy and drummer Brandon Pertzborn — then joined in for a rocking (yet, sadly, abbreviated) take on that same album’s legendary title track.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2025
Noun
The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal and Severance's Tramell Tillman — who are both nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama — both arrived rocking all-white looks that were pure magic.
—Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
At the same time Moss was rocking an earring and quoting Jeezy, Surtain was rounding into an All-American at Alabama.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2025
That exchange of motivation is what balances UF while the ship seems to be rocking.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Sienna Miller has been spotted rocking long boho blonde mermaid waves, while Suki Waterhouse has tried it out on her signature shaggy layers and bangs.
—Jeanne Ballion, Glamour, 11 Sep. 2025
When the Goo Goo Dolls, with opener Dashboard Confessional, played Berkeley’s Greek Theatre in September, the emo band’s frontman Chris Carrabba remarked on all the teenagers who were rocking vintage band tees in the crowd.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
The comments come two days after Israel launched strikes targeting senior Hamas political officials in Doha, rocking a residential neighborhood in the Qatari capital.
—Colin Meyn, The Hill, 11 Sep. 2025
The evening was packed with rocking performances, emotional tributes and an unexpected amount of love for therapists.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
The place would be rocking and certainly give the Jayhawks an edge going into the fourth quarter.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rocking
Verb
-
The sun is out, there’s a cool breeze, and the tree leaves are swaying in the breeze.—
R29 Team,
Refinery29,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The crowd was especially amped up during the performance, with Ciara among many in the audience standing up and swaying (and seemingly singing) along.—
Stacy Lambe,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Only a few dozen have been directly imaged; the vast majority have been detected indirectly, primarily through the transit method (when a planet moves across a star and slightly dims its light) or radial velocity measurements (stars wobbling slightly because a planet is in orbit).—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Jurors saw some wobbling footage that appeared to be taken from inside a bush, though prosecutors did not explicitly make clear if the footage was taken from Routh's perch.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The administration’s lurching one way and another with tariffs is another example.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
20 Sep. 2025
-
The title track opens the affair by lurching and creeping forward for ten minutes with odd, off-putting lyrics.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In a new video with Insightec, the Oscar-winning screenwriter, 76, opened up about struggling for years with essential tremor, which left him unable to do simple tasks without shaking, such as holding a cup or writing by hand.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Steam the clams until the shells open, 5 to 7 minutes, depending on the size of the clams, shaking the pan once or twice.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Olsen plays Joan’s indecision with winsome fluster, at first breathy and trembling but eventually finding her resolve.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Still, the cluster exhibited a subtle trembling motion while it was held in place.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
On the screen were images of rolling hills, deer frolicking in the forest, and waves crashing on the shore.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
-
With the Seattle Seahawks up by three and kicking off to Pittsburgh, the ball came down in the landing zone before rolling into the endzone.—
Mike Straw,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
China's housing downturn has stretched into a fourth year, with prices, sales, investment and construction activity faltering across the board.—
Anniek Bao,Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
25 Aug. 2025
-
Investors’ long-running enthusiasm for artificial intelligence showed signs of faltering late Tuesday and early Wednesday morning as tech stocks tumbled.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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After tense standoffs with Mallory (Crystle Stewart) and Horace's ex-wife, Olivia (Debbi Morgan), Kimmie enters the meeting and promptly takes it over, surprising the family with her mind for numbers.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
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Detroit rapper Kash Doll pulled out all the stops for her boyfriend, NFL star Za’Darius Smith’s 33rd birthday, surprising him with a custom ride that has fans talking.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rocking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rocking. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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