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
Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 8 June 2026
The Blue Devils, who made good progress this season, were unable to keep up with the Redhawks’ juggernaut.
—Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2026
The Oklahoma State Cowboys were offensive juggernauts throughout much of the year, scoring at least 50 in four different Big 12 matchups.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026
While the opportunity to beat the Chinese juggernaut may be slipping away, in the long run the most viable way to remain relevant and competitive may be to join them.
—Bob Woods, CNBC, 6 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for juggernaut
Cite this Entry
“Juggernaut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/juggernaut. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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