What does "rocket" mean?
A projectile.; A cylindrical projectile that can be fired to a great height through combustion, (specifically) a type of firework of this form, typically exploding with light and colour; a skyrocket.
Rocket
/ˈɹɒk.ɪt/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A projectile.; A cylindrical projectile that can be fired to a great height through combustion, (specifically) a type of firework of this form, typically exploding with light and colour; a skyrocket.
- Grammar: rocket is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: arugula, skyrocket, aa target rocket, abm.
- Useful contrasts: decline, descend, drop.
- Usage evidence: Our calculations show that the rocket is off its course.
How to use "rocket"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "rocket" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "rocket" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "rocket" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "rocket" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "rocket" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "arugula" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "rocket", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A projectile.; A cylindrical projectile that can be fired to a great height through combustion, (specifically) a type of firework of this form, typically exploding with light and colour; a skyrocket.
- 2 A leaf vegetable of species Eruca sativa or Eruca vesicaria. uncountable
- 3 a jet engine containing its own propellant and driven by reaction propulsion wordnet
- 4 A projectile.; A blunt lance head used in jousting.
- 5 Any plant of the genus Eruca. countable
"And avoid certain aphrodisiac foods, such as onions and rockets."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 any vehicle self-propelled by a rocket engine wordnet
- 7 A projectile.; A long vehicle or craft propelled by a rocket engine; a missile or rocket-propelled spacecraft.
- 8 Rocket larkspur (Consolida regalis, syn. Delphinium consolida). countable, uncountable
- 9 sends a firework display high into the sky wordnet
- 10 A projectile.; An engine operating similarly to the pyrotechnic, generating thrust by the expulsion of hot gases; a rocket engine.
- 11 propels bright light high in the sky, or used to propel a lifesaving line or harpoon wordnet
- 12 Figurative uses.; Something that travels high in the air or with great speed; especially (sport), a hard shot. figuratively
"Fernandinho launched a rocket that flew just over. Gundogan's shot hit off Sviatchenko and Gordon and went out. City pressed and pressed."
- 13 erect European annual often grown as a salad crop to be harvested when young and tender wordnet
- 14 Figurative uses.; A severe reprimand; a telling-off. UK, figuratively, slang
"The Burmese nurse who'd gone with her was crying, for which she'd no doubt get a rocket from matron."
- 15 Figurative uses.; An ace (the playing card). figuratively, slang
- 16 Figurative uses.; A stupid or crazy person. Scotland, figuratively, slang
"Why were the Luddites named efter Ned Ludd? A wee rocket. A wee fucken fairy bampot. A pure hooligan, smashing stuff up. A ned. Ned Ludd."
- 17 Figurative uses.; A very physically attractive woman. East, England, South, figuratively, slang
Verb
- 1 To accelerate swiftly and powerfully. ambitransitive
"With Free Guy, Reynolds gets just a little more in touch with his Carrey side via nothing less than his own version of The Truman Show, shorn of its daydream dread and rocketed into the age of Fortnite."
- 2 propel with a rocket wordnet
- 3 To fly vertically.
- 4 shoot up abruptly, like a rocket wordnet
- 5 To rise or soar rapidly.
"The project was attractive because of the ability to maximise the use of existing and decommissioned railways, minimise land take, and decrease the amount of disruption during the project. With London land prices rocketing, there was also a significant financial incentive."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To experience sudden fame, popularity, or success.
"After spending years in obscurity, the band finally rocketed last week."
- 7 To carry something in a rocket.
- 8 To attack something with rockets.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Our calculations show that the rocket is off its course."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "rocket"?
Common synonyms include: arugula, skyrocket, aa target rocket, abm, aerospace, aid to navigation.
How do you use "rocket" in a sentence?
Our calculations show that the rocket is off its course.
How do you pronounce "rocket"?
Pronounced /ˈɹɒk.ɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Italian rocchetta, from Old Italian rocchetto (“rocket”, literally “a bobbin”), diminutive of rocca (“a distaff”), from Lombardic rocko (“spinning wheel”), from Proto-West Germanic *rokkō, from Proto-Germanic *rukkô (“a distaff, a staff with flax fibres tied loosely to it, used in spinning thread”). Cognate with Old High German rocco, rocko, roccho, rocho ("a distaff"; > German Rocken (“a distaff”)), Swedish rock (“a distaff”), Icelandic rokkur (“a distaff”), Middle English rocke (“a distaff”). More at rock⁴. For the meaning development, compare fuselage, ultimately from Latin fūsus (“spindle, spinning wheel”).
Etymology 2
Borrowed from French roquette, from Italian ruchetta, diminutive of ruca, from Latin eruca. Cognate to arugula, rucola, eruca, roquette.