shock wave

noun

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

Examples of shock wave in a Sentence

The decision created a shock wave of criticism.

Recent Examples on the Web

Spain was scrambling Friday to contain a sudden border crisis after tens of thousands of people rushed into its North African territory, with dozens killed and political shock waves spreading across Europe. — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 31 July 2026

Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, were killed in the rampage, which sent shock waves through Winder, Georgia, a small town northeast of Atlanta. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 31 July 2026

The international attention that Kimi K3 has garnered echoes the rise of DeepSeek in early 2025, when its R1 reasoning model sent shock waves through the global AI community. — John Liu, CNN Money, 24 July 2026

When the crash occurs, the object vaporizes and shock waves are sent reverberating through the Earth’s crust. — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 24 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shock wave

• agave
• behave
• concave
• conclave
• enclave
• engrave
• enslave
• forgave
• landgrave
• margrave
• shortwave
• aftershave

Kids Definition

shock wave

noun

: a wave formed by the sudden compression (as by an earthquake or supersonic aircraft) of the substance through which the wave travels