rickroll
2 synonyms for rickroll, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — To trick someone into clicking a link that leads to the music video for Rick Astley's song "Never Gonna Give You Up" instead of the content they were expecting.
How to use rickroll
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
get rickrolled
rickroll someone
a classic rickroll
Internet slang; widely understood but informal.
Etymology
A blend of the first name of the singer Rick Astley and roll, formed on the model of the earlier bait-and-switch link joke known as the duckroll.
Full origin of rickroll →Frequently asked questions
What song is a rickroll?
"Never Gonna Give You Up", the 1987 single by the English singer Rick Astley. The joke is the mismatch between the promised link and that particular video.
Is rickrolling still a thing?
Yes, though it has long since stopped being surprising. It survives as an affectionate, almost ceremonial joke, and turns up in adverts, university lectures, sports broadcasts and even official government accounts.
How do you spell it — rickroll, Rickroll or Rick Roll?
All three appear. Lower-case "rickroll" as one word is the most common written form online, though the capitalised "Rickroll" is used when writers want to keep the link to Rick Astley's name visible.
