shock.
A sudden, heavy impact.
Meaning & usage
A sudden, heavy impact.
The train hit the buffers with a great shock.
A sudden, heavy impact. Something so surprising that it is stunning.
My mother's news was a shock I still haven't recovered from.
A sudden, heavy impact. A sudden or violent emotional disturbance.
Carl had a shock at what he found.
A sudden, heavy impact. An experience that leaves someone shaken; a very surprising, exhilarating or amazing experience.
The surprising blast of cold water on my face was a tremendous shock.
A sudden, heavy impact. Electric shock, a sudden burst of electrical energy hitting a person or animal.
We gave him a couple shocks, but the patient passed away anywway.
A sudden, heavy impact. The stimulation of nerves and convulsive contraction of muscles caused by electrical current flowing through a body.
A sudden, heavy impact. A state of distress following a mental or emotional disturbance, often caused by news or other stimuli.
Fans were in shock in the days following the singer's death.
The shock she felt kept her in a daze the rest of the day.
A sudden, heavy impact. Circulatory shock, a medical emergency characterized by the inability of the circulatory system to supply enough oxygen to meet tissue requirements.
Call an ambulance, he's in shock!
A sudden, heavy impact. A shock wave.
Several reflected shocks enter the bomb core in rapid succession, each helping to compress it to its maximum density.
A shock absorber (typically in the suspension of a vehicle).
If your truck's been riding rough, it might need new shocks.
A discontinuity arising in the solution of a partial differential equation.
A chemical added to a swimming pool to moderate the chlorine levels.
Where this word comes from
From Middle Dutch schokken (“to push, jolt, shake, jerk”) or Middle French choquer (“to collide with, clash”), from Old Dutch *skokkan (“to shake up and down, shog”), from Proto-Germanic *skukkaną (“to move, shake, tremble”). Of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Proto-Germanic *skakaną (“to shake, stir”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kek-, *(s)keg- (“to shake, stir”); see shake. Cognate with Middle Low German schocken (“collide with, deliver a blow to, move back and forth”), Old High German scoc (“a jolt, swing”), Middle High German schocken (“to swing”) (German schaukeln), Old Norse skykkr (“vibration, surging motion”), Icelandic skykkjun (“tremulously”), Middle English schiggen (“to shake”). Doublet of shog.
Causing intense surprise, horror, etc.; unexpected and shocking.
His shock announcement rocked the tennis world.
Where this word comes from
From Middle Dutch schokken (“to push, jolt, shake, jerk”) or Middle French choquer (“to collide with, clash”), from Old Dutch *skokkan (“to shake up and down, shog”), from Proto-Germanic *skukkaną (“to move, shake, tremble”). Of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Proto-Germanic *skakaną (“to shake, stir”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kek-, *(s)keg- (“to shake, stir”); see shake. Cognate with Middle Low German schocken (“collide with, deliver a blow to, move back and forth”), Old High German scoc (“a jolt, swing”), Middle High German schocken (“to swing”) (German schaukeln), Old Norse skykkr (“vibration, surging motion”), Icelandic skykkjun (“tremulously”), Middle English schiggen (“to shake”). Doublet of shog.
To cause to be emotionally shocked; to cause (someone) to feel greatly surprised or upset.
The disaster shocked the world.
To strike with disgust, to offend, scandalize.
To give an electric shock to.
To subject to a shock wave or violent impact.
Ammonium nitrate can detonate if severely shocked.
To meet with a shock; to collide in a violent encounter.
To cook something very briefly in a hot liquid, then immediately submerge it in ice water to stop the cooking process.
Can you shock the spinach over there?
To add a chemical to (a swimming pool) to moderate the chlorine levels.
To deform the crystal structure of a stone by the application of extremely high pressure at moderate temperature, as produced only by hypervelocity impact events, lightning strikes, and nuclear explosions.
Where this word comes from
From Middle Dutch schokken (“to push, jolt, shake, jerk”) or Middle French choquer (“to collide with, clash”), from Old Dutch *skokkan (“to shake up and down, shog”), from Proto-Germanic *skukkaną (“to move, shake, tremble”). Of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Proto-Germanic *skakaną (“to shake, stir”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kek-, *(s)keg- (“to shake, stir”); see shake. Cognate with Middle Low German schocken (“collide with, deliver a blow to, move back and forth”), Old High German scoc (“a jolt, swing”), Middle High German schocken (“to swing”) (German schaukeln), Old Norse skykkr (“vibration, surging motion”), Icelandic skykkjun (“tremulously”), Middle English schiggen (“to shake”). Doublet of shog.
An arrangement of sheaves for drying; a stook.
A lot consisting of sixty pieces; a term applied in some Baltic ports to loose goods.
A tuft or bunch of something, such as hair or grass.
His head boasted a shock of sandy hair.
A small dog with long shaggy hair, especially a poodle or spitz; a shaggy lapdog.
Where this word comes from
Inherited from Middle English schok, from Old English *sċoc or Middle Low German schok; in any case, from Proto-West Germanic *skok and possibly related to Latvian kàudze and Lithuanian kiūgis.
To collect, or make up, into a shock or shocks; to stook.
to shock rye
Where this word comes from
Inherited from Middle English schok, from Old English *sċoc or Middle Low German schok; in any case, from Proto-West Germanic *skok and possibly related to Latvian kàudze and Lithuanian kiūgis.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.