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
Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
How Denver got here In contrast, Denver has become a juggernaut, equipped with even-year magic.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2026
Starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, the debut season of BEEF became a critical juggernaut, sweeping major awards and cementing itself as one of the defining series of 2023.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 9 Apr. 2026
Goodwill is the premium paid above and beyond any tangible assets — roller coasters, thrill rides, buildings and land in the case of the $8 billion merger that combined Six Flags and Cedar Fair into a North American amusement park juggernaut in 2024.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for juggernaut
Cite this Entry
“Juggernaut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/juggernaut. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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