shock troops
plural noun
1
: troops especially suited and chosen for offensive work because of their high morale, training, and discipline
2
: a group of people militant in pressing for a cause
Examples of shock troops in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Inmates of asylums were taken to the front and used as shock troops essentially condemned to die.
—
Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
The precise plans for how and where the Hamas shock troops would attack were restricted to a tiny circle of elite military planners, amid what Western officials described as professional-grade operational security.
—Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2023
Hamas’s shock troops — 1,500 of which the Israeli government claims to have killed — did not go after military targets on Saturday, such as Tel Aviv’s international airport, internet infrastructure, power plants or key government and military installations.
—Marc Fisher, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2023
The Islamic Republic of Iran, the Lebanese terrorist movement Hezbollah, and Russia together provided the shock troops and military machinery that stopped the toppling of al-Assad’s regime.
—Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 25 Apr. 2023
Philip’s master plan rested on the belief that his ships must avoid an artillery duel with the enemy and instead discharge their heavy guns at close quarters before grappling and boarding—a scenario in which, the authors suggest, the Armada’s seasoned shock troops would surely prevail.
—Stephen Brumwell, WSJ, 27 Jan. 2023
Today, the Wagner shock troops form a Praetorian Guard for Mr. Touadéra, who is also protected by Rwandan forces, in return for an untaxed license to exploit and export diamonds, gold and timber from virgin forests and from Russian mining interests in the country’s central region.
—Roger Cohen Mauricio Lima, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2022
Issued late last week, Biden’s latest executive order will empower ideological shock troops to distort federal policy across the board.
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 20 Feb. 2023
The insurrectionists were his people, his shock troops, there to do his bidding.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2022
Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
The precise plans for how and where the Hamas shock troops would attack were restricted to a tiny circle of elite military planners, amid what Western officials described as professional-grade operational security.
—Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2023
Hamas’s shock troops — 1,500 of which the Israeli government claims to have killed — did not go after military targets on Saturday, such as Tel Aviv’s international airport, internet infrastructure, power plants or key government and military installations.
—Marc Fisher, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2023
The Islamic Republic of Iran, the Lebanese terrorist movement Hezbollah, and Russia together provided the shock troops and military machinery that stopped the toppling of al-Assad’s regime.
—Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 25 Apr. 2023
Philip’s master plan rested on the belief that his ships must avoid an artillery duel with the enemy and instead discharge their heavy guns at close quarters before grappling and boarding—a scenario in which, the authors suggest, the Armada’s seasoned shock troops would surely prevail.
—Stephen Brumwell, WSJ, 27 Jan. 2023
Today, the Wagner shock troops form a Praetorian Guard for Mr. Touadéra, who is also protected by Rwandan forces, in return for an untaxed license to exploit and export diamonds, gold and timber from virgin forests and from Russian mining interests in the country’s central region.
—Roger Cohen Mauricio Lima, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2022
Issued late last week, Biden’s latest executive order will empower ideological shock troops to distort federal policy across the board.
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 20 Feb. 2023
The insurrectionists were his people, his shock troops, there to do his bidding.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shock troops.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Shock troops.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shock%20troops. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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