juggernaut
noun
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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
Jenelle Riley, Variety, 17 Dec. 2025
Released in 1997, James Cameron’s Titanic became a pop culture juggernaut, blending sweeping romance with historical tragedy through the love story of Jack and Rose aboard the doomed RMS Titanic.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
Now, two years later, Southlake Carroll has a shot at redemption in what should be another exciting game between Texas football juggernauts.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Dec. 2025
More than just a corporate juggernaut, Nvidia also has become an instrument of statecraft, operating at the nexus of advanced technology, diplomacy, and geopolitics.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for juggernaut
Cite this Entry
“Juggernaut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/juggernaut. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025.
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