Definition of JUGGERNAUT

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.

Examples of juggernaut in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Photo: American Pie Council Despite squash’s renaissance, the pumpkin brand remains a juggernaut. — Robert Mcmillan, WSJ, "Your Pumpkin Pie Has a Dark Secret— It’s Made From Squash," 20 Nov. 2018 For two weeks, a Syrian military juggernaut has borne down on rebels bunkered in the country’s south, leaving them with a grim choice: capitulate or face annihilation. — Nabih Bulos, latimes.com, "As a government offensive bears down on them, Syrian rebels expect no help from onetime ally U.S.," 5 July 2018 The Warriors would likely be the favorites for a title even without Durant, and arguably make more sense on the floor as a KD-less, Steph Curry-centric juggernaut. — Nathaniel Friedman, GQ, "Kevin Durant Is in a Tricky Spot," 9 June 2018 Paul Marotta/Getty Images for MIT Solve On this episode of Recode Media with Peter Kafka, Stable Genius Productions co-founder Manoush Zomorodi talks about her decision to leave public radio juggernaut WNYC for a two-woman startup. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Podcaster Manoush Zomorodi explains blockchain and how it might fix the media," 17 July 2018 That is when Queen Creek Casteel will travel to play 5A juggernaut Peoria Centennial to open the season. — Richard Obert, azcentral, "Casteel football taking a big leap of faith with first senior class," 31 May 2018 On Binge Mode, The Ringer’s Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion recap pop culture juggernauts like Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and Harry Potter. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "10 Podcasts You Should Actually Be Listening To," 29 May 2018 Golden State solidified its juggernaut-ness, for the record, by locking down reigning Finals MVP Kevin Durant. — Bryce Miller, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Memo to Luke Walton: Here's comes LeBron ... and all that comes with it," 2 July 2018 As the juggernaut of Brexit rolls into view, British politicians seem to be operating under the same delusion. — Georgina Voss, The Atlantic, "Brexit Could Cripple Britain’s Ports," 20 June 2018

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.