shock Synonyms & Antonyms
Choose a meaning, then find a word that fits your sentence.
Shock as a Noun
A sudden, heavy impact.
The train hit the buffers with a great shock.
Something so surprising that it is stunning.
My mother's news was a shock I still haven't recovered from.
A sudden or violent emotional disturbance.
Carl had a shock at what he found.
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.
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.
The stimulation of nerves and convulsive contraction of muscles caused by electrical current flowing through a body.
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.
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 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.
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.
(by extension) A tuft or bunch of something, such as hair or grass.
His head boasted a shock of sandy hair.
Shock as an Adjective
Causing intense surprise, horror, etc.; unexpected and shocking.
His shock announcement rocked the tennis world.
Shock as a Verb
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.
To collect, or make up, into a shock or shocks; to stook.
to shock rye
To cause to be emotionally shocked, to cause (someone) to feel surprised and upset.
The disaster shocked the world.
Shock in a Sentence
The train hit the buffers with a great shock.
My mother's news was a shock I still haven't recovered from.
Carl had a shock at what he found.
The surprising blast of cold water on my face was a tremendous shock.
We gave him a couple shocks, but the patient passed away anywway.
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.
Call an ambulance, he's in shock!
Several reflected shocks enter the bomb core in rapid succession, each helping to compress it to its maximum density.
If your truck's been riding rough, it might need new shocks.
His shock announcement rocked the tennis world.
The disaster shocked the world.
Ammonium nitrate can detonate if severely shocked.
Can you shock the spinach over there?
His head boasted a shock of sandy hair.
to shock rye
Word Forms & Grammar
shock (countable and uncountable, plural shocks)
shock (not comparable)
shock (third-person singular simple present shocks, present participle shocking, simple past and past participle shocked)
shock (plural shocks)
Words That Rhyme With Shock
Origin of Shock
Origin 1: 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.
Origin 2: 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.
Origin 3: 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.
Shock in Brief
| Part of speech | noun, adjective, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ʃɒk/ |
| Meaning | A sudden, heavy impact |
| Plural | shocks |
| Verb forms | shocks, shocking, shocked |
Frequently Asked Questions About Shock
Is shock a noun or an adjective?
Shock is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as an adjective and a verb.
What is the plural of shock?
The plural of shock is shocks.
What is the past tense of shock?
The past tense of shock is shocked. The present participle is shocking.