: extremely startling, distressing, or offensive
shocking news
Examples of shocking in a Sentence
The number of young teenagers who smoke is shocking.
a shocking waste of money
The building is in a shocking state.
Recent Examples on the Web
Now, as Ghost Adventures settles into its 28th season on air, the shocking moment Aaron learned of his wife's ghastly deed — captured while the crew was filming an episode — has been released.
—
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
And so this is so shocking to her.
—H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The shocking New York City murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 was followed by a July Midtown Manhattan shooting that claimed the lives of two security guards and two executives at Blackstone and Rudin Management.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
The shocking circumstances of this clip may seem too wild to be real, and in this case, that's true.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shocking
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Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
And so this is so shocking to her.
—H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The shocking New York City murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 was followed by a July Midtown Manhattan shooting that claimed the lives of two security guards and two executives at Blackstone and Rudin Management.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
The shocking circumstances of this clip may seem too wild to be real, and in this case, that's true.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shocking
Cite this Entry
“Shocking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shocking. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shocking
adjective
shock·ing
: causing horror or disgust
a shocking crime
shocking behavior
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