shock
shocked; shocking; shocks
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.
Definitions of shock
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an unpleasant or disappointing surprise
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a sudden jarring impact
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the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally“he was numb with shock”
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type of:
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stupefaction
a feeling of stupefied astonishment
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stupefaction
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(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”
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types:
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cardiogenic shock
shock caused by cardiac arrest
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hypovolemic shock
shock caused by severe blood or fluid loss
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obstructive shock
shock caused by obstruction of blood flow
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distributive shock
shock caused by poor distribution of the blood flow
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insulin reaction, insulin shock
hypoglycemia produced by excessive insulin in the system causing coma
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type of:
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collapse, prostration
an abrupt failure of function or complete physical exhaustion
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the violent interaction of individuals or groups entering into combat
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surprise greatly; knock someone's socks off
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synonyms:
ball over, blow out of the water, floor, startle, take aback
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strike with disgust or revulsion
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strike with horror or terror
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collide violently
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inflict a trauma upon
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synonyms:
traumatise, traumatize
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a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses“the old car needed a new set of shocks”
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synonyms:
cushion, shock absorber
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types:
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air cushion, air spring
a mechanical device using confined air to absorb the shock of motion
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air cushion, air spring
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a reflex response to the passage of electric current through the body“electricians get accustomed to occasional shocks”
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synonyms:
electric shock, electrical shock
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type of:
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inborn reflex, innate reflex, instinctive reflex, physiological reaction, reflex, reflex action, reflex response, unconditioned reflex
an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus
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inborn reflex, innate reflex, instinctive reflex, physiological reaction, reflex, reflex action, reflex response, unconditioned reflex
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subject to electrical shocks
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an instance of agitation of the earth's crust“the first shock of the earthquake came shortly after noon while workers were at lunch”
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synonyms:
seismic disturbance
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type of:
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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
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earthquake, quake, seism, temblor
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a bushy thick mass (especially hair)“he had an unruly shock of black hair”
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type of:
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mass
an ill-structured collection of similar things (objects or people)
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mass
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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”
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type of:
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agglomerate, cumulation, cumulus, heap, mound, pile
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
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agglomerate, cumulation, cumulus, heap, mound, pile
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collect or gather into shocks“shock grain”
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type of:
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collect, garner, gather, pull together
assemble or get together
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collect, garner, gather, pull together
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘shock'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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