shock wave

American  

noun

1. a region of abrupt change of pressure and density moving as a wave front at or above the velocity of sound, caused by an intense explosion or supersonic flow over a body.

2. a repercussion from a startling event or upheaval; series of aftereffects.

   shock waves from the recent collapse of one of the nation's largest banks.

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shock wave British  

noun

1. Often shortened to: shock.  a region across which there is a rapid pressure, temperature, and density rise, usually caused by a body moving supersonically in a gas or by a detonation See also sonic boom shock tube

2. a feeling of shock, horror, surprise, etc that affects many people as it spreads through a community

3. the effect created on a queue of moving cars in the lane of a motorway when one car brakes suddenly and the cars behind have to brake as well, causing cars to slow down, sometimes for miles behind the first braking car

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shock wave Scientific  

1. A large-amplitude wave formed by the sudden compression of the medium through which the wave moves. Shock waves can be caused by explosions or by objects moving through a fluid at a speed greater than the speed of sound.

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Etymology

Origin of shock wave

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Some advanced treatments, such as high-intensity laser therapy and shock wave therapy, provided moderate improvements.

From Science Daily • Mar. 30, 2026

“And then you have a limb that’s full of ice on a big pine tree that’s 6 inches thick, and it comes crashing down and puts a shock wave on it,” Hayward said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

When a jet surpasses the speed of sound, it produces a shock wave in the air.

From Science Daily • Oct. 12, 2025

French ex-prime minister Gabriel Attal hoped that the mass rape trial would send a "shock wave" through the education of every young boy - "because this is where the fight for equality and respect begins".

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2024

It produced an atmospheric shock wave that twice circled the Earth.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan