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sticker shock

noun
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Definition of sticker shock

: 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 Get all the deets on all the sale items here, and prepare your wallet for reverse sticker shock. — Karina Hoshikawa, refinery29.com, "You Won’t Want To Miss Out On This Amazon Skin Care Sale," 31 Jan. 2020 Daycare sticker shock can keep otherwise qualified employees out of the workforce, said Lewis. — Anna Claire Vollers | Avollers@al.com, al, "Employers look to affordable childcare to recruit new workers," 7 Dec. 2019 And House Republicans, led by Speaker Jose Oliva, could have sticker shock at its $603 million price tag. — Gray Rohrer, orlandosentinel.com, "House ponders where cash for DeSantis’ $47,000 teacher starting pay will come from," 17 Oct. 2019 Get ready for some sticker shock: the Librem 5 is currently $750. — Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, "Librem 5 phone hands-on—Open source phone shows the cost of being different," 24 Jan. 2020 Despite the initial sticker shock, Youmans-Driskell has grown into her home and into herself through the experience of owning it. — Anni Irish, Marie Claire, "No, Your Down Payment Doesn't Have to Be 20 Percent," 15 Jan. 2020 The sticker shock at the end of abatement is twofold: The share of the total tax responsibility steadily rises as the abatement drops over time, while the overall tax bill often climbs when the city reassesses the property. — New York Times, "The Taxman Cometh for Some Condos," 6 Dec. 2019 The total — well below $100 — was definitely sticker shock, in the best possible way. — NBC News, "Everyone's raving about ALDI so I switched for a week. Here's what I found out.," 15 Nov. 2019 Though this knife comes with some sticker shock, the high-quality blade that resists dulling is worth the price. — James Lynch, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Survival Knives to Get You Through Any Adventure or Disaster," 16 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sticker shock.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of sticker shock

1981, in the meaning defined above

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Time Traveler for sticker shock

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The first known use of sticker shock was in 1981

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Statistics for sticker shock

Last Updated

15 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Sticker shock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sticker%20shock. Accessed 22 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for sticker shock

sticker shock

noun

English Language Learners Definition of sticker shock

US : a feeling of surprise and disappointment caused by learning that something you want to buy is very expensive

See the full definition for sticker shock in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with sticker shock

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