Shock Definition & Meaning – Merriam-Webster

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Their frames had been removed, and the sight elicited the mild shock that comes from seeing a masterpiece revert from its gilded life into a plainly handcrafted object.

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Deborah Solomon, New York Times, 11 May 2023

Courts overseeing three of the most high-profile abuse cases in recent years — involving a rapper, a shock rocker and a former president — reached judgments Tuesday that favored the victims, ending for some years of agony and scrutiny as their cases played out in the courtroom and in public.

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Anne Branigin, Washington Post, 10 May 2023

Cho’s college friends were still grappling with a mix of shock and anger three days after the killing.

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Rich Schapiro, NBC News, 9 May 2023

Getty Images Across much of the country, home builders are watching their sales volumes inch higher this spring, following months of growing cancellation rates and declining sales fueled by last year’s mortgage rate shock.

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Alena Botros, Fortune, 9 May 2023

Even for a community already accustomed to some level of violence, the two brutal killings on a rural Northern California reservation this spring were a shock.

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Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2023

Their expressionless faces suggested more shock than embarrassment.

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Connor Letourneau, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 May 2023

After this initial shock, however, and with other geo-political and economic issues taking center stage – especially as the U.S. banking sector continues to grapple with instability and bank failures, this idea fell out of focus.

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Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 7 May 2023

This foot type needs cushioning sneakers for shock absorption, Dr. Cunha says.

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April Benshosan, Health, 5 May 2023

Adjective

Currently in a post-shock trial refit, observers expect the USS Ford to re-emerge, ready for action, in mid-2022, departing for a deployment sometime after.

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Craig Hooper, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2021

For chair Jay Powell, this is the moment to prove that the Fed has learned the lessons of the recovery from the Great Financial Crisis, when employment didn’t return to pre-shock levels for six-and-a-half years.

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Tim Fernholz, Quartz, 16 June 2021

Perhaps because of those capabilities, Future 50 companies returned to pre-shock levels in 15 weeks, while the MSCI World stock index took more than six months.

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Tom Deegan, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2021

Most e-collars also have non-shock cues such as beeps or vibrations that act as a stimulus for training.

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Alicia Wallace, CNN, 6 Oct. 2020

As the shockwave continues outward, the material in the post-shock regions quickly cools and recombines.

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Michelle Hampson, Discover Magazine, 7 Aug. 2018

Verb

If anyone falls asleep, they’ll get shocked by the collar that’s attached to their necks.

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Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 17 May 2023

She was shocked at how low its railing was, especially in comparison to the towering fences along Interstate 91.

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Hanna Krueger, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2023

He was shocked by what was said in that hotel ballroom, from the minute the very first presenter took the stage.

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The Foretold Team, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2023

Riley is shocked Priscilla is contesting the amendment.

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Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 16 May 2023

Each week, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie guide the aspiring musicians, and viewers are continually shocked by the talent each one brings to the table.

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Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 16 May 2023

Time-on-target attacks are meant to create a single event of exceptional violence, shocking enemy forces with its ferocity.

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Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 16 May 2023

The massacre also shocked and overwhelmed the Collin County medical examiner’s office.

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Aria Jones, Dallas News, 14 May 2023

In 2021, a video of a man on a bicycle stuffing goods into a trash bag at a San Francisco Walgreens went viral, in part because viewers were shocked no one tried to stop the thief.

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St. John Barned-smith, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 May 2023

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