shock wave

noun

|Updated on: 21 Jun 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

In April, the Trump administration imposed sweeping sanctions against Russian oligarchs, sending shock waves through the Russian economy.

— john hudson, Washington Post, "After forging new ties with North Korea, Trump administration turns to Russia," 17 June 2018
Hydraulic hammers sent shock waves through the ground in Jackson County early Saturday morning, bringing down three aging bridges that needed replacement.

— allison kite, kansascity, "Three Jackson County bridges come falling down; demolition closes I-70," 9 June 2018
Bishop Briggs This worldly indie pop rocker will send shock waves down your spine.

— kat bein, Billboard, "12 Must-See Acts At Electric Forest 2018," 7 June 2018
Zidane unexpectedly left Los Blancos last week after securing an historic third consecutive Champions League trophy, and his departure sent shock waves all through the footballing world.

— SI.com, "Real Madrid Star Lucas Vazquez Reveals His Shock Over Zinedine Zidane's Sudden Departure," 6 June 2018
According to a 2015 study, however, the diamonds in Almahata Sitta are much, much larger and were likely not produced by shock waves.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Diamonds Trapped in Strange Meteorite Came From Solar System’s Earliest Planets," 19 Apr. 2018
With supersonic flight, an airplane causes the air around it to react with a shock wave, which is perceptible on the ground as a very loud sonic boom.

— dana burke, Houston Chronicle, "NASA's Galveston test flights could lead to supersonic commercial travel in the future," 16 Apr. 2018
The gap resulted from a long and tumultuous #MeToo saga that sent shock waves through the AMNH and the international anthropology community.

— michael balter, Scientific American, "Leading Science Museum Turns the Page on a Prominent #MeToo Case," 21 May 2018
The allegations first came to light a year ago and sent shock waves through the school and rocked a football program that has been among the state's most successful over the past 15 years.

— jerod macdonald-evoy, azcentral, "Gilbert principal hired to lead Hamilton High in wake of sexual abuse scandal," 11 May 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

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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