jaw-dropper

noun

Definition of jaw-droppernext
as in surprise
something that makes a strong impression because it is so unexpected the underdog's victory was a jaw-dropper in boxing circles

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of jaw-dropper That's despite the sun's tenuous outer atmosphere being the number one sight during totality — a genuine jaw-dropper. — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jaw-dropper
  1. surprise
  2. shock
Noun
  • Although the Cabinet members’ wins add to a growing GOP tradition in Florida — a Democrat hasn’t won statewide in the Sunshine State since 2018 — Democrats on Tuesday won surprise victories in congress and the state legislature.
    — Liv Caputo, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Neither side has budged following Tusk’s surprise raid on the Constitutional Tribunal, through which his government ushered out the court’s president and vice president before installing ideologically sympathetic replacements.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of surprise
Noun
  • In the 1994 midterms, when Bill Clinton’s presidency was bludgeoned half to death by the Newt Gingrich revolution, The New Yorker’s Michael Kelly described the punch-drunk shock inside the White House.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Europe, a net energy importer, is vulnerable to external energy shocks and has seen prices rise steadily since the start of the Iran war.
    — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of shock

Browse Nearby Words

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jaw-dropper
jaw-droppers
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Cite this Entry

“Jaw-dropper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jaw-dropper. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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