rocket

1 of 3

noun (1)

rock·​et ˈrä-kət How to pronounce rocket (audio)
rä-ˈket
: any of several plants of the mustard family: such as
a

rocket

2 of 3

noun (2)

rock·​et ˈrä-kət How to pronounce rocket (audio)
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

rocket

3 of 3

verb

rocketed; rocketing; rockets

transitive verb

: to convey or propel by means of or as if by a rocket

intransitive verb

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

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
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 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

borrowed from Middle French roquete, borrowed from Italian (15th-century) ruchetta, rochetta, from ruca "arugula" (going back to Latin ērūca "arugula, caterpillar," of uncertain origin) + -etta, diminutive suffix, going back to Latin -itta

Note: The sense "caterpillar" of Latin ērūca has been taken as the original one, with the plant so called from the resemblance of its hairy stems to a caterpillar. If this is the case, ērūca could be a derivative of *ēr "hedgehog" (see urchin); the suffix may be the same as in festūca "stalk, straw," lactūca "lettuce," and verrūca "wart."

Noun (2)

Italian rocchetta, literally, small distaff, from diminutive of rocca distaff, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German rocko distaff

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1530, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1837, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of rocket was in 1530

Dictionary Entries Near rocket

Cite this Entry

“Rocket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rocket. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

rocket

1 of 2 noun
rock·​et ˈräk-ət How to pronounce rocket (audio)
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 verb
1
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on rocket

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