Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "rock 'n' roll" [rock 'n' roll]

  • A form of popular music arising from and incorporating a variety of musical styles, especially rhythm and blues, country music, and gospel. Originating in the United States in the 1950s, it is characterized by electronically amplified instrumentation, a heavily accented beat, and relatively simple phrase structure. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "rock 'n' roll" in a sentence
  • "It has always been one of my favourites, and I am getting a better understanding of why: the ragtime meets rock 'n' roll of the music and the just out of reach implications of the lyric."
  • "Yes, that was the year that rock 'n' roll got a toe-hold"