shocker
Americannoun
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a person or thing that shocks or horrifies
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a sensational novel, film, or play
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of shocker
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.
See Examples For:
Unlike Golden Tempo, who pulled off a 23-1 shocker to make Cherie DeVaux the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, Taj Mahal will start at a much lower price for Brittany Russell.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
After all, nothing lasts half a century without changing with the times, and — big shocker — not everything is meant for me, specifically.
From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026
Oliver Fetzer, a former CEO of Viridos, said the scientists’ cost estimate, in combination with the low productivity seen in algae’s first year of outdoor testing, “was a shocker for everybody.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
Dallas resident Adryan Moorefield, who had been in Puerto Vallarta since last week, told CNN the situation was a "complete shocker".
From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2026
As it drops to the ground, he says, “You’re a dead-set shocker, aren’t you?”
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
Her tales defy easy categorization—suspense shockers? ghost stories? horror sketches?—even as they insinuate themselves into our souls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
Now that I have the cheerful stuff out of the way: The TV biz may be filled with uncertainty, but I don’t see a lot of big shockers among the major nominees.
From New York Times ● Jul. 12, 2023
And while we knew there would be some shockers in such an unpredictable draft, this felt extreme.
From Washington Post ● May 2, 2023
But the batch of nominees for the 95th Academy Awards seemed to have more than its fair share of shockers, good and bad.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 26, 2023
Some of the drawings are shockers, but still excellent.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
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.
