shock wave

noun

|Updated on: 16 Aug 2018

Examples: shock wave in a Sentence

Definition of shock wave

1 : a compressional wave of high amplitude caused by a shock (as from an earthquake or explosion) to the medium through which the wave travels

2 : a violent often pulsating disturbance or reaction

shock waves of rebellion

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See shock wave defined for kids

Examples of shock wave in a Sentence

The decision created a shock wave of criticism.

Recent Examples of shock wave from the Web

The raid sent a shock wave through the community after DHS obtained access to their personal information, but Eros remains active.

— rick paulas, Longreads, "Sex Workers vs. The Internet," 15 June 2018
The blast sends a shock wave that would destroy nearly everyone and everything within this first ring.

— popular mechanics editors, Popular Mechanics, "What To Do in a Nuclear Attack," 7 Feb. 2018
The crash sent shock waves through the small town of Humboldt, a farming and potash-mining community located east of Saskatoon, and through the North American hockey community.

— kim mackrael, WSJ, "Canadian Police Arrest Driver of Truck Involved in Humboldt Broncos Bus Crash," 6 July 2018
The Cousins move sent shock waves through the NBA, with players, fans, and pundits weighing in throughout the night.

— sarah todd, Philly.com, "Sixers rookies Zhaire Smith, Landry Shamet tune out free agency to focus on summer league," 3 July 2018
The policy has sent shock waves around the country, igniting outrage on the part of immigration advocates, human rights groups, and citizens across the political spectrum.

— emily stewart, Vox, "“Families Belong Together” rallies protesting family separation at the border, in tweets," 15 June 2018
The center typically receives reports of near Earth objects (NEOs) several times a night, but this one sent shock waves across the sky-scanning community.

— joe pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "For Just 2nd Time Ever, Meteor Hunters Recover Chunks of Rock They Tracked From Space," 9 July 2018
Anyway, a socialist primary victory sends political shock waves among our fellow Democrats, the intensifying divide over the left's agenda up next.

— Fox News, "Trump, Democrats gear up for Supreme Court showdown," 3 July 2018
Photo: Getty On Wednesday afternoon, the real shock wave hit.

— gerald f. seib, WSJ, "Immigration Fight, High Court Rulings Draw Deeper Partisan Lines," 27 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shock wave.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of shock wave

1907

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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SHOCK WAVE Defined for English Language Learners

shock wave

noun

Definition of shock wave for English Language Learners

: a movement of extremely high air pressure that is caused by an explosion, an earthquake, etc.
: a usually negative response or reaction that many people have to a particular thing