Definitions
Wiktionary
- v. Internet slang, transitive, neologism To coax one into clicking on a hyperlink which leads to something other than what is claimed, originating with YouTube videos of Rick Astley's song Never Gonna Give You Up.
- v. transitive, neologism, by extension To harass with misleading hyperlinks of this kind.
Etymologies
- Coined by an anonymous user on the site 4chan in 2007. It combines Rick, Astley's given name, with roll, in a reference to a 2005 prank on the site that replaced the string egg to duck, famously resulting in duckroll, where eggroll was meant. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“It is sort of a sophisticated "rickroll," if you know what I mean.”
“Before he became the infamous 'rickroll'd' internet phenomenon.”
“I'd almost say that this is some kind of rickroll, but why would someone go through the trouble for such an unknown series, let alone find its raws?”
“Apple: Australian man made iPhone 'rickroll' virus”
“He's specifically referring to the the Obama rickroll video, but I think it applies in general.”
“I'm thinking of things like LOLcat or rickroll or something like that.”
The Wall Street Journal: As Slang Changes More Rapidly, Expert Has to Watch His Language
“Tom Dalzell was thrilled last month when he came across a weird new verb: "rickroll." Then he went online and saw that "rickrolling"—the Internet prank that involves sending someone a link to the music video for Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up"—has been around for four years. That's an eon in the world of slang, enough time to render a term stale.”
The Wall Street Journal: As Slang Changes More Rapidly, Expert Has to Watch His Language
“You announce the auto-ban for commenter douchbaggery, and yet you rickroll your readers?”
Top 10 Greasemonkey User Scripts, 2009 Edition | Lifehacker Australia
“I think Kevin didn't actually make that link, but someone did made it real ... rickroll real.”
Top 10 Greasemonkey User Scripts, 2009 Edition | Lifehacker Australia
“And Robert, on an all together different note, my exploration of memes, those trends that take off on the Internet, led me to one of the most popular Internet memes in recent years, the rickroll.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘rickroll’.
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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Ruzuzu's totally rad, righteous, and ...
R words? Really? Right on!
retail, rabe, rutabega, Rashomon, radioisotope, Rasputin, rusty, rosacea, Rumi, riskier, rat, rifle and 53 more...
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Myriadmiration
Neologisms ala Wordnik.com. Directly below are links to some other New Word lists... pease suggest yours to add!
Ne(word)er by whichbe
fake words by sionnach
frivolous uni...obstacular, frenemy, delayering, playgue, abjective, contradictionary, sarchasm, goggly, ecolect, disimagine, alligavate, sniboluous and 330 more...
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Cool Words
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On a rock and jelly rolltop desk
Words containing forms of the verb 'to roll,' with hat tip to the bear's list of things that roll.
rock and roll, cold roll, hot roll, rolling stone, roll-up, jelly roll, swiss roll, sushi roll, Tootsie Roll, Fruit Roll-Ups, dinner roll, California roll and 42 more...
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Memes
From Wikipedia:
The term Internet meme (pronounced /miËm/, meem) is a phrase used to describe a catchphrase or concept that spreads quickly from person to person via the Internet, much like ...desu desu desu, this, rickroll, do not want, chuck norris, the cake is a lie, all your base are..., bananaphone, lolcats, o rly, ytmnd, pwn and 20 more...
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Words I never used before the Internet
Words I never used before the Internet
omg, zomg, pwned, pwnage, internet, lol, rotflmao, flamebait, asshat, cu l8r, haxor, website and 29 more...
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February words
ghost word
tacitly
acquiescentsciamachy, lectrice, naufragous, bully pulpit, squib kick, brockage, derogate, puerile, verdant, quixotic, rickroll, grimoire and 22 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for rickroll.

bilby According to Wonkypedia, morphed from duckroll. Feb 21, 2009
missanthropist AAAHHHLLLNAH!
WORST SUSHI EVER. Jul 11, 2008
bilby That's perfect! Apr 2, 2008
chained_bear I just got this link in a work email. Work email is for work, people! Although, I must admit, the twist on this one is particularly good. Apr 2, 2008
bilby I love lame jokes. Apr 2, 2008
chained_bear *humming* nevergonna give you up, nevergonna let you dowwwwn... Apr 2, 2008
reesetee And yet I came back to this page anyway. Apr 2, 2008
john When someone posts a link to something you expect to be interesting, but in fact it's to a video of Rick Astley's debut single, "Never Gonna Give You Up." An overused Internet April Fool's joke.
For more info, please see the Wikipedia article. Apr 1, 2008
reesetee Oh good GRIEF, I'm ANCIENT! He looks like a 10-year-old!
Heehee. Thanks for the memories, u. ;-) Jul 3, 2007
uselessness Jul 3, 2007