often attributive
1
a
: a firework consisting of a case partly filled with a combustible composition fastened to a guiding stick and propelled through the air by the rearward discharge of the gases liberated by combustion
b
: a similar device used as an incendiary weapon or as a propelling unit (as for a lifesaving line)
2
: a jet engine that operates on the same principle as the firework rocket, consists essentially of a combustion chamber and an exhaust nozzle, carries either liquid or solid propellants which provide the fuel and oxygen needed for combustion and thus make the engine independent of the oxygen of the air, and is used especially for the propulsion of a missile (such as a bomb or shell) or a vehicle (such as an airplane)
3
: a rocket-propelled bomb, missile, projectile, or vehicle
rocketed; rocketing; rockets
: to convey or propel by means of or as if by a rocket
1
: to rise up swiftly, spectacularly, and with force
rocketed to the top of the list
2
: to travel rapidly in or as if in a rocket
Synonyms
Verb
- barrel
- belt
- blast
- blaze
- blow
- bolt
- bomb [slang]
- bowl
- breeze
- bundle
- bustle
- buzz
- cannonball
- careen
- career
- chase
- course
- crack (on)
- dash
- drive
- fly
- hare
- hasten
- hie
- highball
- hotfoot (it)
- hump
- hurl
- hurry
- hurtle
- hustle
- jet
- jump
- motor
- nip
- pelt
- race
- ram
- rip
- run
- rush
- rustle
- scoot
- scurry
- scuttle
- shoot
- speed
- step
- tear
- travel
- trot
- whirl
- whisk
- zip
- zoom
Examples of rocket in a Sentence
Verb
Sales rocketed from 1,000 units last week to 5,000 units this week.
The train rocketed through the tunnel.
The spacecraft rocketed into outer space.
Her novel rocketed to the top of the best-seller list.
Their album rocketed up the charts.
His role in the movie rocketed him to fame.
Recent Examples on the Web
Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Elon Musk, the executive behind the automotive and clean energy company Tesla and rocket manufacturer Space X, has made his views about the 2024 election clear.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 11 Nov. 2024
Inflation briefly rocketed to more than 30%, causing poverty to tick up.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rocket 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
On October 10, commissioners voted to oppose an expansion of the number of SpaceX rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base, on the Santa Barbara coast.
—Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Elon Musk, the executive behind the automotive and clean energy company Tesla and rocket manufacturer Space X, has made his views about the 2024 election clear.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
The department documented two police shootings in 2023 — one fatal and one nonfatal — but rocketed up to seven shootings and six deaths in 2024.
—Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 11 Nov. 2024
Inflation briefly rocketed to more than 30%, causing poverty to tick up.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rocket
Dictionary Entries Near rocket
Cite this Entry
“Rocket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rocket. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rocket
1 of 2 noun
rock·et
ˈräk-ət 
1
: a firework that is driven through the air by the gases produced by a burning substance
2
: a jet engine that operates like a firework rocket but carries its own oxygen for burning the fuel and is therefore able to run without the oxygen of the air
3
: an object (as a missile) that is driven by a rocket
rocket
2 of 2 verb1
: to transport by a rocket
rocket a satellite into orbit
2
: to rise swiftly
a singer who rocketed to stardom
3
: to travel rapidly in or as if in a rocket
Etymology
Noun
from Italian rocchetta, literally "a small stick or rod on which wool is held for spinning," from rocca "distaff"; probably so called because of its shape
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share