a shock to the/someone's system

idiom

: something that has a sudden and usually unpleasant effect on someone
The cold weather was a shock to my system after being in the tropics.
For freshmen, college life can be a real shock to the system.

Examples of a shock to the/someone's system in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Just to step through that studio was enough of a shock to the system. Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 7 June 2024 Some describe the actors and writers strikes as a shock to the system that highlighted the value of building savings in a volatile industry. Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Feb. 2024 Now, Trump was certainly a shock to the system in 2016, accelerating political trends by pulling more white voters without a college degree into the GOP fold and pushing many college graduates toward the Democrats. Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2024 That one-two shuffle — wherein the motion picture industry gets rocked by a shock to the system, followed by an adaptation that not only meets the challenge but turns it to advantage — set a pattern for Hollywood’s crisis management forever after. Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Dec. 2023 See all Example Sentences for a shock to the/someone's system 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'a shock to the/someone's system.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near a shock to the/someone's system

Ashochimi

a shock to the/someone's system

ashore

Cite this Entry

“A shock to the/someone's system.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20shock%20to%20the%2Fsomeone%27s%20system. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.

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