- 1[countable] a spacecraft in the shape of a tube that is driven by a stream of gases let out behind it when fuel is burned inside a space rocket The rocket was launched in 2007. The idea took off like a rocket (= it immediately became popular). Wordfinderspaceastronaut, countdown, dock, launch, mission, orbit, rocket, satellite, space, weightless Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivespace verb + rocketlaunch rocket + verbblast off, lift off, take off, … rocket + nounbooster, engine, motor, … See full entry See related entries: Aircraft, Space travel
- 2[countable] a missile (= a weapon that travels through the air) that carries a bomb and is driven by a stream of burning gases a rocket attack Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivelong-range, anti-aircraft, anti-tank, … verb + rocketfire, shoot rocket + verbexplode, hit something, strike something, … rocket + nounattack, launcher, pod, … See full entry See related entries: Weapons
- 3[countable] a firework that goes high into the air and then explodes with coloured lights
- 4 [uncountable] (British English) (North American English arugula) a plant with long green leaves that have a strong flavour and are eaten raw in salads Word Originnoun senses 1 to 3 early 17th cent.: from French roquette, from Italian rocchetto, diminutive of rocca ‘distaff (for spinning)’, with reference to its cylindrical shape. noun sense 4 late 15th cent.: from French roquette, from Italian ruchetta, diminutive of ruca, from Latin eruca ‘downy-stemmed plant’.Extra examples You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to do this job. A rocket smashed into the side of the building. The government building had been damaged by a rocket attack.Idioms
rocket
nounBrE BrE//ˈrɒkɪt//; NAmE NAmE//ˈrɑːkɪt//
Aircraft, Space travel, Weapons(British English, informal) to speak angrily to somebody because they have done something wrong; to be spoken to angrily for this reason
Check pronunciation: rocket
