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

The collection saw rock star shapes, like a combat boot covered in floral cutouts and piercings, while mary janes were seen with a removable chain that covers the heel. —Stephen Garner, WWD, 3 Mar. 2025

Eclectic, Reminiscent, Amused, Fickle, Perverse—I Music executives in the late sixties were often cynical about rock stars—but never about Ahmet Ertegun, the Atlantic Records chairman who practically signed them all. —Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2025

Tonight, these jesters are turned into rock stars in the heart of Midtown. —Eric Francisco, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2025

Bruce, the philosopher sage of New Jersey, is unlike your average rock star. —Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rock star

• adar
• afar
• ajar
• alar
• ansar
• bazaar
• bizarre
• boxcar
• boyar
• bulbar
• cachar
• cigar