rocket

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A long vehicle or craft propelled by a rocket engine.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

rahkuht

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US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɹɑkət

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

A long vehicle or craft propelled by a rocket engine; a missile or rocket-propelled spacecraft.
An engine operating similarly to the pyrotechnic, generating thrust by the expulsion of hot gases; a rocket engine.
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.
Something that travels high in the air or with great speed; especially (sport), a hard shot.
Rocket larkspur (Consolida regalis, syn. Delphinium consolida).
A blunt lance head used in jousting.

verb

To fly vertically.
To rise or soar rapidly.
To experience sudden fame, popularity, or success.
Propel with a rocket
To carry something in a rocket.
To attack something with rockets.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency: Common
Typical Use: General English

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

rocket enginerocket motorsolid rocketrocket sciencerocket launcherrocket propulsionrocket fuelrocket scientist

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

rocket cressnounCompound term
Noxious cress with yellow flowers.
rocket enginenounCompound term
A jet engine containing its own propellant and driven by reaction propulsion.
rocket engineernounCompound term
An engineer who builds and tests rockets.
rocket firingnounCompound term
The launching of a rocket or missile under its own power.
rocket fuelnounCompound term
An explosive charge that propels a rocket.
rocket larkspurnounCompound term
Commonly cultivated larkspur of southern Europe having unbranched spikelike racemes of blue or sometimes purplish or pinkish flowers.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: long vehicle

skyrocketRare

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.