rock up

verb

To turn up at a place or function spontaneously or unexpectedly, without notice or prior warning.

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show up
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Meanings

rock up1

verbrock up (third-person singular simple present rocks up, present participle rocking up, simple past and past participle rocked up)

present singular third person rocks up · participle present rocking up · participle past rocked up · past rocked up

  1. informalTo turn up at a place or function spontaneously or unexpectedly, without notice or prior warning.

    I'm sure the Brunel-designed stone-built structure would have had a hatstand for his trademark stovepipe. I can picture him rocking up there of a morning and lobbing it nonchalantly onto the hatstand.

    2021 December 29, Stephen Roberts, “Stories and facts behind railway plaques: Chippenham (1841)”, in RAIL, number 947, page 57

    Synonyms: show up

rock up2

verbrock up (third-person singular simple present rocks up, present participle rocking up, simple past and past participle rocked up)

present singular third person rocks up · participle present rocking up · participle past rocked up · past rocked up

  1. climbingTo work one's way vertically up a chimney or cleft using a rocking movement.
  2. slangdrugsTo turn powder cocaine into crack cocaine by cooking.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo turn up at a place or function spontaneously or unexpectedly, without notice or prior warning.

Similar
show up

Origin

rock up · verb

From rock + up.

Full word history & related roots →

rock up · verb

From rock (“stone”) + up.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish ilmestyä paikalle, pöllähtää paikalle
  • ilmestyä paikalleto turn up unexpectedly
  • pöllähtää paikalleto turn up unexpectedly
Russian заявля́ться, заяви́ться
  • заявля́ться (zajavljátʹsja)to turn up unexpectedly
  • заяви́ться (zajavítʹsja)to turn up unexpectedly
Cite this entry
APA

rock up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rock%20up

MLA

“rock up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rock%20up. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rock up,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rock%20up.

Source: rock up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.