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shock

A shock is the uncomfortable feeling you get when an electric current passes through your body. If you stick your finger in an outlet, you'll get an unpleasant shock.

A shock can be a jarring surprise, like the shock of getting fired. If a human body goes into a state of shock, that person is near collapse, reeling from a traumatic situation. A shock of hair refers to a bushy mass of hair on a person's head. As a verb, shock can also mean "to inflict trauma on someone else," like shocking your mom with your news or you shock your dog's electric collar every time he tries to bite you.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: shock

1
 nv
an unpleasant or disappointing surprise
surprise greatly; knock someone's socks off
2
 n
a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses
3
 nv
a reflex response to the passage of electric current through the body
subject to electrical shocks
4
 n
an instance of agitation of the earth's crust
5
 n
a bushy thick mass (especially hair)
6
 nv
a pile of sheaves of grain set on end in a field to dry; stalks of Indian corn set up in a field
collect or gather into shocks
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: shock
1

n an unpleasant or disappointing surprise

“it came as a shock to learn that he was injured”
Synonyms:
blow
Types:
blip
a sudden minor shock or meaningless interruption
Type of:
surprise
a sudden unexpected event

n a sudden jarring impact

Synonyms:
jar, jolt, jounce
Type of:
blow, bump
an impact (as from a collision)

n the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally

“he was numb with shock”
Synonyms:
daze, stupor
Type of:
stupefaction
a feeling of stupefied astonishment

n (pathology) bodily collapse or near collapse caused by inadequate oxygen delivery to the cells; characterized by reduced cardiac output and rapid heartbeat and circulatory insufficiency and pallor

“loss of blood is an important cause of shock”
Types:
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cardiogenic shock
shock caused by cardiac arrest
hypovolemic shock
shock caused by severe blood or fluid loss
obstructive shock
shock caused by obstruction of blood flow
distributive shock
shock caused by poor distribution of the blood flow
insulin reaction, insulin shock
hypoglycemia produced by excessive insulin in the system causing coma
Type of:
collapse, prostration
an abrupt failure of function or complete physical exhaustion

n the violent interaction of individuals or groups entering into combat

“the armies met in the shock of battle”
Synonyms:
impact
Type of:
combat, fight, fighting, scrap
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle

v surprise greatly; knock someone's socks off

Synonyms:
ball over, blow out of the water, floor, take aback
Types:
galvanise, galvanize, startle
to stimulate to action
Type of:
surprise
cause to be surprised

v strike with disgust or revulsion

“The scandalous behavior of this married woman shocked her friends”
Synonyms:
appal, appall, offend, outrage, scandalise, scandalize
Type of:
churn up, disgust, nauseate, revolt, sicken
cause aversion in; offend the moral sense of

v strike with horror or terror

“The news of the bombing shocked her”
Type of:
alarm, appal, appall, dismay, horrify
fill with apprehension or alarm; cause to be unpleasantly surprised

v collide violently

Type of:
clash, collide
crash together with violent impact

v inflict a trauma upon

Synonyms:
traumatise, traumatize
Type of:
injure, wound
cause injuries or bodily harm to
2

n a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses

“the old car needed a new set of shocks”
Synonyms:
cushion, shock absorber
Types:
air cushion, air spring
a mechanical device using confined air to absorb the shock of motion
Type of:
damper, muffler
a device that decreases the amplitude of electronic, mechanical, acoustical, or aerodynamic oscillations
3

n a reflex response to the passage of electric current through the body

“electricians get accustomed to occasional shocks”
Synonyms:
electric shock, electrical shock
Type of:
inborn reflex, innate reflex, instinctive reflex, physiological reaction, reflex, reflex action, reflex response, unconditioned reflex
an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus

v subject to electrical shocks

Types:
galvanise, galvanize
stimulate (muscles) by administering a shock
Type of:
care for, treat
provide treatment for
4

n an instance of agitation of the earth's crust

“the first shock of the earthquake came shortly after noon while workers were at lunch”
Synonyms:
seismic disturbance
Type of:
earthquake, quake, seism, temblor
shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane of from volcanic activity
5

n a bushy thick mass (especially hair)

“he had an unruly shock of black hair”
Type of:
mass
an ill-structured collection of similar things (objects or people)
6

n a pile of sheaves of grain set on end in a field to dry; stalks of Indian corn set up in a field

“corn is bound in small sheaves and several sheaves are set up together in shocks”
“whole fields of wheat in shock”
Type of:
agglomerate, cumulation, cumulus, heap, mound, pile
a collection of objects laid on top of each other

v collect or gather into shocks

“shock grain”
Type of:
collect, garner, gather, pull together
assemble or get together
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