juggernaut

noun

jug·​ger·​naut ˈjə-gər-ˌnȯt How to pronounce juggernaut (audio)
-ˌnät
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

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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

there was no escaping the juggernaut of hype for the studio's biggest summer blockbuster
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Since 2010, the Warriors transformed from a perennial money-losing franchise that rarely made the playoffs into a financial juggernaut and the NBA’s most valuable franchise at $9.14 billion, including related businesses and real estate. Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 5 May 2025 Berkshire has grown into a one-of-a-kind juggernaut worth nearly $1.2 trillion with businesses encompassing insurance, railroad, retail, manufacturing and energy. Yun Li, CNBC, 5 May 2025 The company grew into a global online shopping juggernaut, thanks in large part to its extremely low prices. Timothy McLaughlin, Wired News, 5 May 2025 Ryan Coogler’s Sinners – a Southern Gothic vampire-musical-period epic led by Michael B. Jordan – is an irrefutable juggernaut. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 2 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for juggernaut

Word History

Etymology

Hindi Jagannāth, literally, lord of the world, title of Vishnu

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of juggernaut was in 1841

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Cite this Entry

“Juggernaut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/juggernaut. Accessed 20 May. 2025.

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