rocking-chair

An elderly man sits in a rocking-chair on the porch.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A chair mounted on rockers: A "rocking-chair" is a type of chair that has curved pieces of wood (rockers) attached to the bottom of its legs, allowing it to move back and forth when the occupant shifts their weight.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • She sat in the rocking-chair on the porch, gently swaying as she read her book. (A chair with rockers used for relaxing.)
  • The old wooden rocking-chair creaked softly with each motion. (A chair that moves back and forth.)

Advanced Usage

• "rocking-chair test": A colloquial term for a simple, passive evaluation or situation.

  • The proposal passed the rocking-chair test — no one objected strongly. (A low-stakes assessment.)

• "rocking-chair rhythm": A gentle, repetitive motion similar to that of a rocking-chair.

  • The waves had a rocking-chair rhythm that lulled him to sleep. (A soothing, back-and-forth pattern.)

Variants and Related Words

• Rocking (adj): moving back and forth or side to side.

  • The rocking motion of the boat made her feel dizzy. (The movement of swaying.)

• Chair (n): a seat with a back, typically for one person.

  • He pulled up a chair to the table. (A piece of furniture for sitting.)

Synonyms

• Rocking chair: a common alternative spelling (no hyphen).
• Rocker: a chair that rocks; sometimes used interchangeably.
  • Grandpa sat in his old rocker by the fireplace. (A rocking-chair.)

Related Idioms

• "rocking-chair money": (informal, rare) money earned without much effort, as if one could earn it while sitting in a rocking-chair.
  • He inherited a trust fund that gave him rocking-chair money for life. (Easy, passive income.)