like a rolling stone
1
8.2
- idiom
- Informal
- She's like a rolling stone, never staying in one job or city for long.
Examples
-
His friends say he moves like a rolling stone, always seeking a new adventure.
-
After college, he lived like a rolling stone, traveling across continents for years.
-
He travels like a rolling stone.
-
Why does she live like a rolling stone?
-
After college, he lived like a rolling stone, traveling across continents without settling down.
-
His friends say he moves like a rolling stone, constantly searching for new experiences.
-
She's like a rolling stone, frequently changing her job and city as she explores life.
Synonyms
110
3.9
Often traveling or changing what you do
34
5.9
A person who moves from place to place and has no permanent home or steady job
23
3.9
A person who travels without a fixed home or purpose
6
4.6
A person who moves often and does not stay in one place
2
7.8
Living from place to place without a fixed home
1
7.5
Moving often from one place or job to another
1
5.1
A person who moves from place to place without staying long
Antonyms
How Settled
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a simple simile whose meaning can be directly inferred from the constituents: 'like' (similar to) + 'rolling' (moving by turning) + 'stone' (a rock), so a learner can picture a stone that keeps moving and does not settle. This basic metaphor is compositional and cross-linguistically accessible, so a B1 learner who knows the words would likely understand it as describing someone who moves or changes frequently.
Etymology
Like a rolling stone comes from the simple image of a rolling stone that keeps moving and never collects moss. That's why we use it for someone who is 'always moving' or 'not settling'.