shell shock
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of shell shock
First recorded in 1915–20
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At its peak during the Korean War, 5,000 men were living and being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder, then known as shell shock.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2025
Doctors then discovered he was suffering from shell shock.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2024
Those dealing with shell shock often had to be sent to hospitals far from the frontlines, and recovery was exceedingly slow as psychologists tried to help them reenter peacetime society.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022
Mr. Howard told NBC that his client appeared “dejected and in shell shock — all the things you would expect” while he was remanded to a cell to await sentencing.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 14, 2022
At first, battlefield commanders tended to dismiss shell shock as nothing more than rank cowardice.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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.
