any large, overpowering force or object, such as war, a giant battleship, or a powerful football team.
anything requiring blind devotion or cruel sacrifice.
Chiefly British. A large, heavy vehicle, especially a truck.
a crude idol of Krishna worshipped at Puri and throughout Odisha (formerly Orissa) and Bengal. At an annual festival the idol is wheeled through the town on a gigantic chariot and devotees are supposed to have formerly thrown themselves under the wheels
a form of Krishna miraculously raised by Brahma from the state of a crude idol to that of a living god
any terrible force, esp one that destroys or that demands complete self-sacrifice
a very large lorry for transporting goods by road, esp one that travels throughout Europe
A force, an idea, or a system of beliefs that overcomes opposition — especially if it does so ruthlessly — is called a “juggernaut.”
First recorded in 1630–40, in the sense of an idol of Krishna annually drawn on an enormous cart in Puri, Odisha, India; 1840–45 juggernaut for defs. 1, 2; from Hindi Jagannāth, from Sanskrit Jagannātha- “lord of the world”; see Jagannath ( def. )
Juggernaut means a massive force. If the army marching into your country is a juggernaut, you're doomed. If you're trying to market a new Cola product, you're up against corporate giant Coca-Cola, a beverage juggernaut if ever there was one. With its roots in Hindi, juggernaut originally referred to a crude statue from which the Hindu god, Brahma, turned into the living god, Krishna. There continues to be a festival in honor of this miracle, in which a statue of Krishna is carted through town. It is said that in times past, devotees would throw themselves under the cart’s wheels.
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Warsh’s stakes in Juggernaut Fund LP and a handful of the largest positions are supposed to be sold between his Senate confirmation and his swearing in.
From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026
The memo notes that two publicly traded bank companies, Berkshire Hills Bancorp and Investar Holding, have disclosed in their own filings in the past two years that Juggernaut was a shareholder.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
Juggernaut is a private investment vehicle also managed by Druckenmiller’s firm.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
His music began with Jeff Buckley's 'Hallelujah' and soon turned into a vastly different vibe - a rap song with the chorus "You don't want to war with big Juggernaut".
From BBC • Sep. 23, 2023
While they flew, the geese couldn’t take their eyes off the Juggernaut.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
