rock and roll

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See also: rock-and-roll


Alternative forms[edit]


From rock (move back and forth) + and + roll; originally a verb phrase common among African Americans, meaning "to have sexual intercourse"; it was a 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, coined by disc jockey Alan Freed in reference to the euphemistic use in song titles.




rock and roll (uncountable)

  1. 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. A style of vigorous dancing associated with this genre of music.
  4. (Cockney rhyming slang) dole.
  5. (military, slang, US) The full automatic fire capability selection on a selective fire weapon.

Usage notes[edit]

  • Rock and roll is sometimes taken to encompass a particular style of music from roughly the mid-40s to the middle of the 1960s. It is otherwise taken to be largely synonymous with rock music, which encompasses a much wider range of more modern styles.




  1. (slang, euphemistic, 1920s, African American Vernacular) To have sex.
  2. To play rock and roll music.
  3. To start, commence, begin, get moving.



  • 2001. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: North America. Garland Publishing. Ellen Koskoff (Ed.). Pg. 347.



rock and roll m (uncountable)

  1. rock and roll (style of music)