rock and roll

== English == === Alternative forms === rock-and-roll, rock'n'roll, rock 'n' roll, rock n roll, rock 'n roll, rock-n-roll, rock-'n'-roll, rock & roll === Etymology === 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, popularized by disc jockey Alan Freed in reference to the euphemistic use in song titles. === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /ˈɹɒk ən(d) ˈɹəʊl/ (US) IPA(key): /ˈɹɑk ən(d) ˈɹoʊl/; see usage note === Noun === rock and roll (uncountable) (music) 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. (dance) A style of vigorous dancing associated with this genre of music. (especially attributive) An intangible feeling, philosophy, belief or allegiance relating to rock music, characterized by unbridled enthusiasm, hedonism, and cynical regard for authoritarian bodies. (Cockney rhyming slang) Dole, payment by the state to the unemployed. I'm back on rock and roll ― I'm back on the dole. (military, slang, US) The full automatic fire capability selection on a selective fire weapon. (film, television) The ability to run the picture and audio back and forth in synchronization, allowing the correction of mistakes during dubbing. ==== Usage notes ==== When pronounced, the word "and" in this phrase, as in many others, is frequently reduced to a mere /ən/ or /n/ (i.e. pronounced "rok-an-roll" or "raw-kn-roll). When this occurs, it is often reflected in contracted spellings like rock 'n' roll (see alternative forms above). Rock and roll is sometimes taken to encompass a particular style of music from roughly the mid-1940s to circa 1966. It is otherwise taken to be largely synonymous with rock music, which encompasses a much wider range of more modern styles. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Verb === rock and roll (third-person singular simple present rocks and rolls or rock and rolls, present participle rocking and rolling or rock and rolling, simple past and past participle rocked and rolled or rock and rolled) (dated slang, euphemistic, 1920s, African-American Vernacular) To have sex. Synonyms: bang, do it; see also Thesaurus:copulate To play rock and roll music. Synonym: rock To start, commence, begin, get moving; move along with a rocking, rolling motion. Synonyms: initiate, open; see also Thesaurus:begin ==== Derived terms ==== ready to rock and roll ==== References ==== 2001. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: North America. Garland Publishing. Ellen Koskoff (Ed.). Pg. 347. == Polish == === Alternative forms === rock'n'roll === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English rock and roll. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /rɔ.kɛndˈrɔl/ Rhymes: -ɔl Syllabification: rock‧-and‧-roll === Noun === rock and roll m inan rock and roll (style of music) rock and roll (style of vigorous dancing associated with this genre of music) ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “rock and roll”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎[1] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN “rock and roll”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎[2] (in Polish) == Portuguese == === Alternative forms === rock 'n' roll, rock 'n roll === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English rock and roll. === Pronunciation === === Noun === rock and roll m (uncountable) (music) rock and roll (style of music) Synonym: rock ==== Related terms ==== roqueiro === Further reading === “rock and roll”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “rock and roll”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Romanian == === Noun === rock and roll n (uncountable) rock and roll == Spanish == === Alternative forms === rocanrol === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˌrok ˌan ˈrol/ [ˌrok ˌãn ˈrol] IPA(key): /ˌrok ˌand ˈroul/ [ˌrok ˌãn̪d̪ ˈrou̯l] Syllabification: rock and roll === Noun === rock and roll m (uncountable) rock and roll === Further reading === “rock and roll”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025