sticker shock

noun

|Updated on: 19 Jul 2018

Examples: sticker shock in a Sentence

Definition of sticker shock

: astonishment and dismay experienced on being informed of a product's unexpectedly high price

See sticker shock defined for English-language learners

Examples of sticker shock in a Sentence

We left the store suffering severe sticker shock.

Recent Examples of sticker shock from the Web

The sticker shock stands out given Jenner's age and the hard-to-parse secret sauce that vaulted her family into its own celebrity stratosphere.

— rachel siegel, chicagotribune.com, "Kylie Jenner is on track to become the youngest self-made billionaire. Ever.," 14 July 2018
Nonprofit agencies long headquartered in downtown Detroit are facing sticker shock over the rising cost of office space and parking as their leases come up for renewal.

— john gallagher, Detroit Free Press, "Rising rents in Detroit force nonprofit agencies to move from downtown," 22 May 2018
European buyers must also contend with sticker shock, as U.S. companies often trade at higher valuations than their European peers.

— nina trentmann, WSJ, "European Buyers Go Shopping for U.S. Companies," 6 Apr. 2018
Raymond Boyd Getty Images Buick buyers may be in for some sticker shock after President Donald Trump’s tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese imports.

— Fortune, "A Buick SUV May Cost an Extra $8,000 After China Tariffs," 16 June 2018
Still, the sticker shock headlines conceal some compensating realities.

— the editorial board, WSJ, "The Autumn of ObamaCare," 11 June 2018
Surge pricing in particular was an issue in the days before Uber and Lyft introduced its upfront pricing feature because, instead of telling customers how much a ride would cost, the companies used a fare multiplier that often led to sticker shock.

— tracey lien, latimes.com, "Honolulu lawmakers agree to cap surge pricing for Uber and Lyft," 7 June 2018
May 9, 2018 The hefty price tag is sure to prompt sticker shock for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who controls the authority and declared the state of emergency last June.

— New York Times, "A Sweeping Plan to Fix the Subways Comes With a $19 Billion Price Tag," 22 May 2018
Many Americans with serious dental illness find out the same way: sticker shock.

— Washington Post, "When Is Insurance Not Really Insurance? When You Need Pricey Dental Care.," 22 May 2018

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.