shock absorber

noun

: any of several devices for absorbing the energy of sudden impulses or shocks in machinery or structures

Examples of shock absorber in a Sentence

The car needs new shock absorbers.

Recent Examples on the Web

Items including scissors, light bulbs, raw eggs, rolls of tape, wooden blocks, springs, foam earplugs, jacks, tetrahedrons, and shock absorbers can all be picked up without custom programming, reports Techeblog. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 29 July 2026

In cars, dampers are shock absorbers, the hydraulic suspenders attached to springs that keep vehicles rolling relatively smoothly over craters and bumps instead of ricocheting. — New Atlas, 24 July 2026

An inflatable water wing around a bottle becomes an air cushion; a padded laptop sleeve doubles as a shock absorber. — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 July 2026

Another alternative from Ramboll acts as a shock absorber for the grid, helping utilities and grid operators to add more renewable energy sources while lowering risk, preventing outages, raising resilience, and lowering development costs. — Drew Robb, IEEE Spectrum, 16 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shock absorber

• adsorber

Kids Definition

shock absorber

noun

: a device for absorbing the energy of sudden shocks in machinery or structures