: extremely startling, distressing, or offensive
shocking news
Examples of shocking in a Sentence
The number of young teenagers who smoke is shocking.
a shocking waste of money
The building is in a shocking state.
Recent Examples on the Web
Among the shocking claims about Kate and his upbringing is Collin's allegation that his mother once used zip ties on his wrists and ankles and locked him in a basement.
—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
30 June 2026
But the Real Madrid winger made the shocking decision to play for Morocco in 2023 thanks to his father’s Moroccan heritage.
—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
30 June 2026
Daemon descends to retrieve the Ironrod, but comes back up with a shocking gift, left for the returning Blacks by Aegon’s road trip buddy, Lord Larys.
—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 June 2026
After years spent documenting these events and trying to bring the story to light, Bolerjack is ready to share this shocking and deeply heartbreaking story with the world.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for shocking
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
30 June 2026
But the Real Madrid winger made the shocking decision to play for Morocco in 2023 thanks to his father’s Moroccan heritage.
—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
30 June 2026
Daemon descends to retrieve the Ironrod, but comes back up with a shocking gift, left for the returning Blacks by Aegon’s road trip buddy, Lord Larys.
—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 June 2026
After years spent documenting these events and trying to bring the story to light, Bolerjack is ready to share this shocking and deeply heartbreaking story with the world.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for shocking
Cite this Entry
“Shocking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shocking. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shocking
adjective
shock·ing
: causing horror or disgust
a shocking crime
shocking behavior
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
