shock absorber

American  

noun

Machinery.

1. a device for damping sudden and rapid motion, as the recoil of a spring-mounted object from shock.

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shock absorber British  

noun

1. any device designed to absorb mechanical shock, esp one fitted to a motor vehicle to damp the recoil of the suspension springs

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Etymology

Origin of shock absorber

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Savers accept lower returns to own risk-free Treasury debt because it usually acts as a shock absorber.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

“We don’t have quite the shock absorber that we used to have,” Croft said in an interview.

From Barron's • Jan. 14, 2026

Financial markets act like a shock absorber for investment.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 14, 2025

These findings also call for revising the role of molecular unfolding, updating the traditional view that it functions as a mechanosensor and a shock absorber when molecules unfold under external force.

From Science Daily • Feb. 1, 2024

A good place to hide could be under the cars, up between the axles, balancing on a foot-wide iron shock absorber.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

Related Words

• suspension system