gobsmacked

adjective

gob·smacked | \ ˈgäb-ˌsmakt

Definition of gobsmacked

chiefly British, informal

: overwhelmed with wonder, surprise, or shock : astounded Several minutes later I touch the bottom, pleased to discover that Louise—despite all her experience exploring caves elsewhere in the world—is as gobsmacked as I am. "This place is huge, and daylit," she says, her face glazed with awe.— Gregory Crouch Thus, when the cell-phone video surfaced, fashion insiders were so gobsmacked that to this day they'll tell you where they were when they first heard about it.— Ingrid Sischy

Examples of gobsmacked in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The phrase appeared last March, much as a wildflower might: with sudden, almost gobsmacked abandon, born in preparation of its own demise. — Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2021 Everyone, including the Israeli delegation, looked gobsmacked. — Alejandro Varela, Harper's magazine, 16 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gobsmacked.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.