shock
1a sudden and violent blow or impact; collision.
a sudden or violent disturbance or commotion: the shock of battle.
a sudden or violent disturbance of the mind, emotions, or sensibilities: The burglary was a shock to her sense of security. The book provided a shock, nothing more.
the cause of such a disturbance: The rebuke came as a shock.
Pathology. a collapse of circulatory function, caused by severe injury, blood loss, or disease, and characterized by pallor, sweating, weak pulse, and very low blood pressure.: Compare anaphylactic shock, cardiogenic shock, hypovolemic shock.
the physiological effect produced by the passage of an electric current through the body.
shocks, Informal. shock absorbers, especially in the suspension of an automobile.
to strike or jar with intense surprise, horror, disgust, etc.: He enjoyed shocking people.
to strike against violently.
to give an electric shock to.
to undergo a shock.
Origin of shock
1synonym study For shock
Other words for shock
Other words from shock
- shock·a·ble, adjective
- shock·a·bil·i·ty, noun
- shock·ed·ness, noun
- shocklike, adjective
- un·shock·a·bil·i·ty, noun
- un·shock·a·ble, adjective
Words Nearby shock
Other definitions for shock (2 of 3)
a group of sheaves of grain placed on end and supporting one another in the field.
to make into shocks.
Origin of shock
2Other words from shock
- shocker, noun
Other definitions for shock (3 of 3)
a thick, bushy mass, as of hair.
Also shock dog . a dog with long, shaggy hair.
shaggy, as hair.
Origin of shock
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use shock in a sentence
Only those shock waves would produce neutrinos and fast radio bursts at the same time, Metzger says.
Neutrinos could reveal how fast radio bursts are launched | Lisa Grossman | September 16, 2020 | Science NewsShortly after his own win, Carlsson shocked his children by getting his forearm inked with the words “World Champion” spiraling around a ladle.
“I can’t say as it comes as a huge shock to me,” Miyoshi said when told of the EEOC findings.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Confirms a Pattern of Age Discrimination at IBM | by Peter Gosselin, special to ProPublica | September 11, 2020 | ProPublicaI’m shocked and I don’t really have anything to say about that.
The Woman Propositioned by Alaska’s Former Lieutenant Governor Tells Her Story for the First Time | by Kyle Hopkins and Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News | September 10, 2020 | ProPublicaGrowth stocks, meanwhile, tend to do well when there’s a big shock, such as a pandemic.
Global stocks climb—and futures jump—after Tuesday’s sell-off | Bernhard Warner | September 9, 2020 | Fortune
Citizens were watching in shock from above on the subway station.
But fans still feel the death was a last-minute decision made for shock value rather than to serve the story.
‘The Walking Dead’ Fans Demand: Bring Back Beth! | Melissa Leon | December 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTshock at what the government considers dangerous and high risk could be read across social media.
The UK’s War on Porn: ‘Proof That Men Making These Rules Do Not See Women as Equals’ | Aurora Snow | December 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTShe lost control of her bladder as she crouched in a corner, shaking, and unable to move her body due to the shock.
Some were silent from shock, others giddy and smiling as they boarded the U.S. Air Force C-130s.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis | Nina Strochlic | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTLike an electric shock, the well-known chords of the Tragala aroused his hearers—every one crowded round the singer.
The violent shock dazed Malcolm for a second, but all might yet have been well were it not for an unavoidable accident.
The Red Year | Louis TracyShe was a woman of too much natural and acquired poise to remain askew under any shock.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonHe feared to shock her by the sudden mention of the Senora's death; yet that would harm her less than continued anxiety.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonWere he a young man, they could save him by cutting off his leg high up, but as it is he would not stand the shock.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian Hamilton
British Dictionary definitions for shock (1 of 3)
/ (ʃɒk) /
to experience or cause to experience extreme horror, disgust, surprise, etc: the atrocities shocked us; she shocks easily
to cause a state of shock in (a person)
to come or cause to come into violent contact; jar
a sudden and violent jarring blow or impact
something that causes a sudden and violent disturbance in the emotions: the shock of her father's death made her ill
pathol a state of bodily collapse or near collapse caused by circulatory failure or sudden lowering of the blood pressure, as from severe bleeding, burns, fright, etc
pathol pain and muscular spasm as the physical reaction to an electric current passing through the body
Origin of shock
1Derived forms of shock
- shockable, adjective
- shockability, noun
British Dictionary definitions for shock (2 of 3)
/ (ʃɒk) /
a number of sheaves set on end in a field to dry
a pile or stack of unthreshed corn
(tr) to set up (sheaves) in shocks
Origin of shock
2British Dictionary definitions for shock (3 of 3)
/ (ʃɒk) /
a thick bushy mass, esp of hair
rare bushy; shaggy
Origin of shock
3Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for shock
[ shŏk ]
An instance of the passage of an electric current through the body. The amount of injury caused by electric shock depends on the type and strength of the current, the length of time the current is applied, and the route the current takes once it enters the body.
A life-threatening condition marked by a severe drop in blood pressure, resulting from serious injury or illness.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with shock
see culture shock.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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