verb Internet Slang

rickroll

· verb · internet

Tricking someone into clicking a link that opens Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up.'

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Definitions

1

To bait someone with a tempting link, headline, or QR code that actually opens the Rick Astley video. Nearly two decades in, people still fall for it, especially when the link is dressed up as a leaked album, breaking news, or work doc.

“Clicked the 'urgent meeting agenda' in Slack and got rickrolled by my own boss.”
by community
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2

Used more loosely for any bait-and-switch link or video that delivers something silly instead of what was promised, even without Rick Astley involved.

“Thought it was a real trailer breakdown but he rickrolled us with a ten-minute ad.”
by community
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rickroll In A Sentence

Clicked the 'urgent meeting agenda' in Slack and got rickrolled by my own boss.
Thought it was a real trailer breakdown but he rickrolled us with a ten-minute ad.

Origin & Usage

Evolved from 4chan's 2007 'duckroll' bait-and-switch. Users started swapping the duck link for the 1987 music video of Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up,' and the prank exploded across YouTube. The video has racked up well over a billion views, largely from the meme.

Variants rick-rollrickrolledrickrolling
Tags #youtube#prank#4chan#2000s

People Also Ask

What does rickroll mean?

It means tricking someone into clicking a link that turns out to open Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up.'

How do you use rickroll in a sentence?

"I thought he sent me the match highlights but he rickrolled me instead."

Where does rickroll come from?

The prank spread on the internet in the late 2000s, built around the music video for Rick Astley's 1987 hit 'Never Gonna Give You Up.'

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