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shock

[ shok ]

/ ʃɒk /

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See synonyms for: shock / shocked / shocker / shocking on Thesaurus.com

noun

a 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.

verb (used with object)

to strike or jar with intense surprise, horror, disgust, etc.: He enjoyed shocking people.

to strike against violently.

to give an electric shock to.

verb (used without object)

to undergo a shock.

OTHER WORDS FOR shock

8 stagger, astound, stupefy.

See synonyms for shock on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

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Origin of shock

First recorded in 1565–75; from Middle French choc “armed encounter,” noun derivative of choquer “to clash (in battle),” from Germanic (probably Frankish); compare Dutch schokken “to shake, jolt, jerk”

synonym study for shock

8. Shock, startle, paralyze, stun suggest a sudden, sharp surprise that affects one somewhat like a blow. Shock suggests a strong blow, as it were, to one's nerves, sentiments, sense of decency, etc.: The onlookers were shocked by the accident. Startle implies the sharp surprise of sudden fright: to be startled by a loud noise. Paralyze implies such a complete shock as to render one temporarily helpless: paralyzed with fear. Stun implies such a shock as bewilders or stupefies: stunned by the realization of an unpleasant truth.

OTHER WORDS FROM shock

shock·a·ble, adjectiveshock·a·bil·i·ty, nounshock·ed·ness, nounshocklike, adjective

un·shock·a·bil·i·ty, nounun·shock·a·ble, adjective

Words nearby shock

Shoah, shoal, shoaly, shoat, shochet, shock, shock absorber, shocker, shock front, shockheaded, shock-horror

Other definitions for shock (2 of 3)

shock²

[ shok ]

/ ʃɒk /

noun

a group of sheaves of grain placed on end and supporting one another in the field.

verb (used with object)

to make into shocks.

Origin of shock

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English shok, shocke, shok(k)e; cognate with Middle Low German, Low German scok, schok, all meaning “shock of grain, group of sixty,” German Schock “sixty”

OTHER WORDS FROM shock

shocker, noun

Other definitions for shock (3 of 3)

shock³

[ shok ]

/ ʃɒk /

noun

a thick, bushy mass, as of hair.

Also shock dog . a dog with long, shaggy hair.

adjective

shaggy, as hair.

Origin of shock

First recorded in 1815–20; special use of shock² (the hair being compared to a shock of wheat)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

MORE ABOUT SHOCK

What is a basic definition of shock?

A shock is a sudden, intense mental or physical impact. Shock is also the effect of having electricity run through the body. To shock someone means to intensely surprise or horrify someone. Shock has several other senses as a noun and a verb.

The word shock often refers to a sudden mental disturbance that causes an intense emotion, usually surprise or horror. You might feel a shock when you see a failing grade on a test. The word shock can also refer to whatever causes this sudden surprise. The noun shocker and adjective shocking often refer to this sense of shock.

Used in a sentence: It took Julie a few minutes to recover from the shock of seeing a dancing circus bear in her living room.

Shock is used in this same sense as a verb to mean to cause someone to be suddenly overwhelmed by emotion (usually surprise or horror).

Used in a sentence: I was shocked by my incredibly high phone bill.

A shock can also be a sudden physical impact. This sense is less common than the emotional one.

Used in a sentence: The springs absorbed most of the shock from colliding with the wall.

Shock also refers to the bodily imbalance, discomfort, or damage caused by electricity running through a person’s body. This sense is often specifically referred to as “an electric shock,” especially when discussing injuries or medical emergencies.

Used in a sentence: The electrician barely survived the electric shock he got while working on the power lines.

In this same sense, shock is used as a verb to mean to give an electric shock to someone.

Used in a sentence: The squirrel was shocked by the cord while chewing on it.

Where does shock come from?

The first records of shock come from around 1565. It ultimately comes from the Old French verb choquier, meaning “to clash in batte.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to shock?

shocker (noun)
shocking (adjective)
shockable (adjective)
shockability (noun)
shocklike (adjective)

What are some synonyms for shock?

What are some words that share a root or word element with shock?

What are some words that often get used in discussing shock?

How is shock used in real life?

Shock is a common word that most often refers to sudden surprises or electrical accidents.

This may come as a shock to some of you but 2020 was kind of a bummer

— tamar (@tsassizzle) December 31, 2020

Can’t stop thinking about that guy who moved from San Diego to Austin and was shocked his quality of life declined

— Matthew Zeitlin (@MattZeitlin) January 4, 2021

I got shocked by my phone charger cable last night & it sparked when I looked at it. The wiring is exposed & all that. It's probably time to retire that cord.

— Stray Adult™ (@StrayAdult) January 15, 2018

Try using shock!

True or False?

If something is a shock, it is unlikely to bother someone as they expected it to happen.

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 News
Shortly after his own win, Carlsson shocked his children by getting his forearm inked with the words “World Champion” spiraling around a ladle.
In Pursuit of the Perfect Bowl of Porridge|Clarissa Wei|September 11, 2020|Eater
“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|ProPublica
I’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|ProPublica

Growth 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.
Anger at The Cop Killer - And The Police|M.L. Nestel|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Shock 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|DAILY BEAST
She lost control of her bladder as she crouched in a corner, shaking, and unable to move her body due to the shock.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix|Justin Jones|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Like an electric shock, the well-known chords of the Tragala aroused his hearers—every one crowded round the singer.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
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 Tracy
She was a woman of too much natural and acquired poise to remain askew under any shock.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
He 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 Jackson
Were 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)

shock¹

/ (ʃɒk) /

verb

to experience or cause to experience extreme horror, disgust, surprise, etcthe 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

noun

a sudden and violent jarring blow or impact

something that causes a sudden and violent disturbance in the emotionsthe 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

Derived forms of shock

shockable, adjectiveshockability, noun

Word Origin for shock

C16: from Old French choc, from choquier to make violent contact with, of Germanic origin; related to Middle High German schoc

British Dictionary definitions for shock (2 of 3)

shock²

/ (ʃɒk) /

noun

a number of sheaves set on end in a field to dry

a pile or stack of unthreshed corn

verb

(tr) to set up (sheaves) in shocks

Word Origin for shock

C14: probably of Germanic origin; compare Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schok shock of corn, group of sixty

British Dictionary definitions for shock (3 of 3)

shock³

/ (ʃɒk) /

noun

a thick bushy mass, esp of hair

adjective

rare bushy; shaggy

Word Origin for shock

C19: perhaps from shock ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for shock

shock

[ shŏk ]

Something that jars the mind or emotions as if with a violent, unexpected blow.

The disturbance of function, equilibrium, or mental faculties caused by such a blow; violent agitation.

A generally temporary massive physiological reaction to severe physical or emotional trauma, usually characterized by marked loss of blood pressure and depression of vital processes.

The sensation and muscular spasm caused by an electric current passing through the body or a body part.

The abnormally palpable impact of an accentuated heartbeat felt by a hand on the chest wall.

To induce a state of physical shock in a person.

To subject a person to an electric shock.

Scientific definitions for shock

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.

Other Idioms and Phrases with shock

shock

see culture shock.

shock

OTHER WORDS FOR shock

Origin of shock

synonym study for shock

OTHER WORDS FROM shock

Words nearby shock

Other definitions for shock (2 of 3)

Origin of shock

OTHER WORDS FROM shock

Other definitions for shock (3 of 3)

Origin of shock

MORE ABOUT SHOCK

What is a basic definition of shock?

Where does shock come from?

Did you know ... ?

How is shock used in real life?

Try using shock!

Words related to shock

How to use shock in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shock (1 of 3)

Derived forms of shock

Word Origin for shock

British Dictionary definitions for shock (2 of 3)

Word Origin for shock

British Dictionary definitions for shock (3 of 3)

Word Origin for shock

Medical definitions for shock

Scientific definitions for shock

Other Idioms and Phrases with shock