Slangora

rickroll

(Internet slang) An act of or attempt at rickrolling.

ˈɹɪkɹəʊlDocumented since 2000s2000sGen Z176 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🌐 Internet & Memes
2 definitions
Community

Etymology timeline

Born ~2008 · no dated citations yet
2008BornToday, 2026
Late-Millennial / Web 2.0 eraSee decade cohort →

Definitions

#1·Apr 26, 2026

(Internet slang) An act of or attempt at rickrolling.

You have to check out this link. Not a rickroll.
Was this helpful?

Comments

#2·Apr 26, 2026

(originally, Internet slang) To mislead (someone) into following a seemingly innocuous hyperlink, or sometimes a QR code, that leads to a YouTube video of Rick Astley's song "Never Gonna Give You Up".

I try not to get rickrolled by sketchy YouTube links, but sometimes you let your guard down.
Origin: [[File:Rick Astley Macy Parade.jpg|thumb|Rick Astley (center) after rickrolling the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (sense 2.1) by unexpectedly appearing on the Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends float and performing his hit song “Never Gonna Give You Up” on November 27, 2008.]] The is a , combining the name of the British pop singer and songwriter Rick Astley (born 1966) with a reference to the duckroll prank on the website 4chan, in which users tricked into clicking on a hyperlink were led to an image of a duck on wheels. The word was (born 1987) who, under the handle “cotter548”, uploade. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents

"rickroll" means: To mislead (someone) into following a seemingly innocuous hyperlink, or sometimes a QR code, that leads to a YouTube video of Rick Astley's.... This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

"rickroll" means: To mislead (someone) into following a seemingly innocuous hyperlink, or sometimes a QR code, that leads to a YouTube video of Rick Astley's.... Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.

Was this helpful?

Comments

Have a better definition?

Add your own interpretation of "rickroll".

Add definition

🌐About Internet & Memes slang

Viral internet speak — memes, ratios, main-character moments, and the algospeak of every platform from Twitter to Reddit to TikTok comment sections.

See all Internet & Memes slang on Slangora.

Tags

Other words near "rickroll" (R)

Browse all slang words starting with R.

Related terms

People also read

Semantically related