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Synonyms

shock jock

American  

noun

  1. a radio disc jockey or host who features offensive or controversial material.

shock jock British  

noun

  1. informal a radio disc jockey who is deliberately controversial or provocative

"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

Etymology

Origin of shock jock

1985–90,

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.

On the James Whale Radio Show, the presenter was a cross between a shock jock, talk show host, gonzo roving reporter and working men's club MC.

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2025

Nearly every line in the film’s ferociously hilarious first hour is like Jane Austen reborn as a shock jock, until Song runs out of material and starts repeating herself.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2025

The second, “The Chris Chatman Do-Over,” which stars the comedian Ike Barinholtz as a hot-take-spouting Joe Rogan-esque shock jock, wrapped up last month.

From New York Times • May 8, 2024

Most in the mainstream press know Crowder as a "shock jock," leading them to miss how he has also always explicitly been a Christian conservative broadcaster, as well.

From Salon • May 15, 2023

Equally interesting is 20 minutes with Mr. Bridges and acting coach Stephen Bridgewater as they discuss teaching the actor to be a shock jock with archival improvisation sessions included.

From Washington Times • Apr. 23, 2023

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.