Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(a) (mainly US) to throw rocks or stones at.

1836		Public Ledger (Phila.) 30 Aug. n.p.: Jacket over coat, — rock him! rock him! cried the boys of Marblehead, ‘rock him round the corner’ [DA].
a.1848		Jonesborough (TN) Whig n.p.: They commenced rocking the Clay Club House in June, on more occasions than one, and on one occasion threw a rock in at the window [B].
1872		O.W. Holmes Poet of the Breakfast Table 341: It used to be said that if an unknown landsman showed him self in the streets, the boys would follow after him, crying, ‘Rock him! Rock him! He’s got a long-tailed coat on’.
1897		Kipling ‘Slaves of the Lamp’ Pt I in Complete Stalky & Co. (1987) 68: Hid in the coal-locker — and tweaked Rabbits-Eggs — and Rabbits-Eggs rocked King.
1902		Bulletin (Sydney) 23 Aug. 31/1: Mother’ll rock yer if she kitches yer takin’ our shadders.
1920		Advocate (Burnie, Tas.) 5 June 7/2: Jones batting, Smith bowling [...] Hot stuff, Smithy — rock ’em in!
1931		E.M. Berry ‘Sawmill Divertissements’ in Botkin Folk-Say 219: Every time a Saron boy went to see a Glenwood gal he got rocked on his way back.
1947		Harper’s Mag. Jan. 67/2: We use to rock him home from school ever’noon [DA].

(b) (US black) to trouble emotionally; to amaze.

1938		C. Himes ‘Pork Chop Paradise’ in Coll. Stories (1990) 256: He rocked his congregations, he scared them, he startled them.
1944		D. Burley Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive 126: I’m rocked to the socks by Ole Man Mose.
1951		J. Blake letter 30 Dec. in Joint (1972) 27: I was somewhat rocked to hear that Lisa had shown you the letters I wrote to her.
1961		R.S. Close With Hooves of Brass 81: ‘Boy, have we got something to rock the mob with today!’.
1963		in T.I. Rubin Sweet Daddy 45: You’d be rocked some of the swank buildings we set up in.
1990		M. McAlary Crack War (1991) 24: You rocked that nigger.
2000		P. Beatty Tuff 125: Carter was rockin’ that nigger, and all Tuffy could do was take the blows.

(c) (US campus) lit. or fig., to fight with, to beat up.

1989		P. Munro Sl. U.
1995		G. Pelecanos Down by the River 116: [A] red-bearded potbellied man loudly heckled the players, with most of his choice obscenities reserved for [Baltimore Orioles pitcher] Sid Hernandez, who that night was truly getting rocked.

(d) (US campus) to suffer badly.

1987

Eble Campus Sl. Spring 3: get rocked – suffer defeat or failure: I really got rocked on that exam.