sticker shock
noun
: astonishment and dismay experienced on being informed of a product's unexpectedly high price
Examples of sticker shock in a Sentence
We left the store suffering severe sticker shock.
Recent Examples on the Web
Back-to-college will trigger some sticker shock even though rates on federal student loans are edging down, not up.
—
Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 31 July 2025
Organizers note that fans from dozens of countries (beyond just the 10 nations in the tournament) and 31 states have purchased tickets already, but for locals who want to see a game or two and cheer for the USA, there has been some sticker shock.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 31 July 2025
The max-term deal was a no-brainer, and while there was some sticker shock for some, the $6.5 million cap hit looked like one that would age pretty well (his market value at the time was around $7 million).
—Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 29 July 2025
Sometimes, the pricing changes cause sticker shocks—this could be from price increases or, other times, from the licensing metric itself changing to usage-based, inadvertently delivering additional price increases.
—Chris Mele, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for sticker shock
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Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 31 July 2025
Organizers note that fans from dozens of countries (beyond just the 10 nations in the tournament) and 31 states have purchased tickets already, but for locals who want to see a game or two and cheer for the USA, there has been some sticker shock.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 31 July 2025
The max-term deal was a no-brainer, and while there was some sticker shock for some, the $6.5 million cap hit looked like one that would age pretty well (his market value at the time was around $7 million).
—Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 29 July 2025
Sometimes, the pricing changes cause sticker shocks—this could be from price increases or, other times, from the licensing metric itself changing to usage-based, inadvertently delivering additional price increases.
—Chris Mele, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for sticker shock
Cite this Entry
“Sticker shock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sticker%20shock. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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