shock
1a 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.
to strike or jar with intense surprise, horror, disgust, etc.: He enjoyed shocking people.
to strike against violently.
to give an electric shock to.
to undergo a shock.
Origin of shock
1synonym study For shock
Other words for shock
Other words from shock
- shock·a·ble, adjective
- shock·a·bil·i·ty, noun
- shock·ed·ness, noun
- shocklike, adjective
- un·shock·a·bil·i·ty, noun
- un·shock·a·ble, adjective
Other definitions for shock (2 of 3)
a group of sheaves of grain placed on end and supporting one another in the field.
to make into shocks.
Origin of shock
2Other words from shock
- shocker, noun
Other definitions for shock (3 of 3)
a thick, bushy mass, as of hair.
Also shock dog . a dog with long, shaggy hair.
shaggy, as hair.
Origin of shock
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use shock in a sentence
The first time I read it, I made an involuntary sound of shock that made a friend demand to know what was wrong.
The mind-boggling end of Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise, explained | Constance Grady | November 20, 2020 | Vox“It was a bit of a shock back then,” Jensen said when news broke that Bjerg had been signed, though mostly because he was one of the first players to be signed to a North American team from abroad.
Electrocoagulation is a process that shocks pathogens out of water using small amounts of electricity, which separates gross stuff from the pure water molecule.
Two Companies See a Golden Opportunity in the Tijuana River’s Brown Waters | MacKenzie Elmer | November 20, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoThe brutal, live-wire uncertainty of the pandemic’s first wave was a shock, but it spurred millions to adopt restrictions, driven by a sense of solidarity and fear.
Restaurants and the People Who Work in Them Need a Bailout. Let’s Finally Give Them One. | Meghan McCarron | November 19, 2020 | EaterIts power to absorb the shock of storms, prevent flooding, and trap salt is unmatched.
More recently, Boko Haram shocked the world by kidnapping 276 female students and threatened to traffic them.
ISIS, Boko Haram, and the Growing Role of Human Trafficking in 21st Century Terrorism | Louise I. Shelley | December 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“The lies of the government shocked us,” says Fatima, as the tears flow slowly from her eyes and down her cheek.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda | Ruth Michaelson | December 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFirst, though, he has to be shocked into recognizing the barren waste of his spiritual life – by spirits.
The execution of two police officers in cold blood has shocked the city and driven a deeper wedge between the cops and the mayor.
I was shocked to find out from Chief Timothy Longo that Canevari had given me the wrong information.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything | Liz Seccuro | December 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA Lowell factory-girl would consider this entirely out of character, and a New-York milliner would be shocked at the idea of it.
Glances at Europe | Horace GreeleyShe didn't move for a minute, and the shocked, stricken look in her eyes grew more intense.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair"And she would sacrifice Him and all his archangels to an epigram," thought Isabel, who was somewhat shocked.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonI fear she was often shocked at our easy Saxon ways, though Tom and I thought ourselves models of thrift.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph TatlowThe dear old creature p. 42was really shocked at our backsliding; but she nursed Tom very tenderly all the same.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlow
British Dictionary definitions for shock (1 of 3)
/ (ʃɒk) /
to experience or cause to experience extreme horror, disgust, surprise, etc: the 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
a sudden and violent jarring blow or impact
something that causes a sudden and violent disturbance in the emotions: the 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
Origin of shock
1Derived forms of shock
- shockable, adjective
- shockability, noun
British Dictionary definitions for shock (2 of 3)
/ (ʃɒk) /
a number of sheaves set on end in a field to dry
a pile or stack of unthreshed corn
(tr) to set up (sheaves) in shocks
Origin of shock
2British Dictionary definitions for shock (3 of 3)
/ (ʃɒk) /
a thick bushy mass, esp of hair
rare bushy; shaggy
Origin of shock
3Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with shock
see culture shock.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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