juggernaut

play

noun jug·ger·naut \ ˈjə-gər-ˌnȯt , -ˌnät \

Updated on: 24 Jul 2017

Definition of juggernaut

1 :a massive inexorable force, campaign, movement, or object that crushes whatever is in its path

an advertising juggernaut

a political juggernaut

2 chiefly British :a large heavy truck

See juggernaut defined for English-language learners

juggernaut was our Word of the Day on 09/16/2016. Hear the podcast!

Examples of juggernaut in a Sentence

there was no escaping the juggernaut of hype for the studio's biggest summer blockbuster

Recent Examples of juggernaut from the Web

Fears that their movements might merge into a political juggernaut ended when Long was assassinated and Coughlin faded into obscurity. 4.

— aaron carico, Teen Vogue, "5 Ways Fascism Has Existed in America Since the 1700s," 28 Aug. 2017
Texas (Nike): 15 years, $250 million, $16.67 million/year The Longhorns renegotiated their deal with Nike in 2015, at a time when the apparel juggernaut was working on contracts with rivals Michigan and Ohio State as well. 4.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "Where does Louisville's new Adidas deal rank among college program sponsorships?," 25 Aug. 2017
In the twelve years since, the juggernaut known as Rihanna has evolved musically and stylistically.

— ashley weatherford, The Cut, "Your Guide to Rihanna’s Best Hairstyles," 24 Aug. 2017
The Crusaders (9-3) were a juggernaut last season, winning their first eight games.

— pat disabato, Daily Southtown, "Countdown to football: Nick Marozas, Brother Rice ranked No. 4 in preseason," 21 Aug. 2017
The successful but rigid national team coordinator who spent 15 years overseeing the U.S. evolution from underachiever to medal-hogging juggernaut is gone.

— will graves, The Seattle Times, "No sweat: Liukin creates upbeat approach at USA Gymnastics," 19 Aug. 2017
The political opposition has been scattered to India’s provinces as the BJP’s electoral juggernaut has rumbled from victory to victory in the populous centre.

— The Economist, "The elephant in its labyrinthIn the race with its tricky neighbour, India has recently been winning," 22 July 2017
From music to television, art to film, Garner has become a pop culture juggernaut.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "Eric Garner Three Years Later: A Life Remembered," 17 July 2017
IndyStar talked to five people who might just put your knowledge of the cultural juggernaut to shame.

— domenica bongiovanni, Indianapolis Star, "Think you know Pokémon? These 5 people might put your knowledge to shame," 1 July 2017

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

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 Jagannath, 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 probably an exaggeration or misinterpretation of actual events, but it spread throughout Europe anyway. The tale caught the imagination of English listeners, and by the 19th century, they were using juggernaut to refer to any massive vehicle (such as a steam locomotive) or to any other enormous entity with powerful crushing capabilities.