juggernaut
noun
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The History of Juggernaut
In the early 14th century, Franciscan missionary Friar Odoric brought to Europe the story of an enormous carriage that carried an image of the Hindu god Vishnu (whose title was Jagannāth, literally, "lord of the world") through the streets of India in religious processions. Odoric reported that some worshippers deliberately allowed themselves to be crushed beneath the vehicle's wheels as a sacrifice to Vishnu. That story was likely an exaggeration or misinterpretation of actual events, but it spread throughout Europe. The tale caught the imagination of English listeners, and they began using juggernaut to refer to any massive vehicle (such as a steam locomotive) and to any other enormous entity with powerful crushing capabilities. While the word is still used sometimes in British English to refer to a very large, heavy truck (also called a "juggernaut lorry"), juggernaut is more commonly used figuratively for a relentless force, entity, campaign, or movement, as in "a political/economic/cultural juggernaut."
Examples of juggernaut in a Sentence
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 28 June 2025
Donovan walked away from a long-term project that has turned into a rising juggernaut, trading it for a Bulls team still stuck in basketball purgatory.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2025
China’s electric vehicle juggernaut appeared to be easing in Europe but last month new data showed the lull was short-lived.
—Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Existing processes, even those used by production juggernauts in Asia, are too reliant on manual input and labor (though automation is picking up quickly).
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for juggernaut
Cite this Entry
“Juggernaut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/juggernaut. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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