1
as in collision
a forceful coming together of two things
the whole railway platform shook from the shock of the two trains colliding
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in astonishment
the state of being strongly impressed by something unexpected or unusual
were in shock after they heard the news of the death of the president
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to appall
to cause an unpleasant surprise for
Mom was shocked by the terrible news that her cousin had died in an accident I was shocked to find out that I was the victim of identity theft
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to surprise
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
were shocked by the way the law against public intoxication was constantly being broken
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to scare
to strike with fear
the sudden appearance of the ghost shocked us to the core
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shock
Will Jones, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 2026
At the Upper West Side outpost of the Strand, the actor is a reedy presence, his small figure buried in a large North Face winter jacket and topped with a shock of curly hair.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
Reports about LaBeouf’s behavior and arrest did not shock some who worked on the Oklahoma set of his upcoming movie, The Rooster Prince, last November.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shock
Noun
Furthermore, recent academic research indicates that shocks in cryptocurrency markets can ripple into traditional financial markets and commodities.
—Will Jones, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 2026
At the Upper West Side outpost of the Strand, the actor is a reedy presence, his small figure buried in a large North Face winter jacket and topped with a shock of curly hair.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
Tena Hadzic, a 21-year-old Croatian skier who encountered Nazgul down the homestretch, was initially shocked by her four-legged competitor.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
Reports about LaBeouf’s behavior and arrest did not shock some who worked on the Oklahoma set of his upcoming movie, The Rooster Prince, last November.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shock
Noun
-
Vehicle collisions on the road are a top cause of bear mortality.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball got into a minor collision on Wednesday afternoon in uptown Charlotte.—
Rod Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Thinking back to the days leading up to the 2025 Daytona 500, Sarah Turner Wells shakes her head in astonishment.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Even with that success, two less-than-stellar seasons in 2022 and 2023 were all Titans leadership needed to show Vrabel the door, firing him after a 6-11 season to mild astonishment from around the league.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Critics were divided, audiences were entertained, TV executives and Beale’s IRL equivalents were appalled, Oscar voters were enthralled.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Starkly depicting such abuses as force-feeding, strip-searching, and staff bullying, the movie appalled audiences on its release, and the State of Massachusetts quickly banned it from being shown publicly for more than twenty years.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The transformation took three years and a color decision that surprised even local craftsmen.—
Ryan Craggs,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Karissa Waddick has a deep-dive story that might surprise you, with names like John Hanson, Elias Boudinot and Thomas Mifflin, largely forgotten by history − and one, John Hancock, who's remembered for a lot of things other than being president.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
What happened Tuesday should scare away any of the remaining top prospects who would want to play for this berating blowhard.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Some cities in China have banned fireworks out of concerns over safety and air pollution, but the measures are controversial as firecrackers, traditionally used to scare off evil spirits, remain central to Lunar New Year celebrations.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Both of those moments were jolts.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
21 Feb. 2026
-
To further stress-test the robot, researchers added a BumpEm device that delivers stronger physical jolts.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
To my amazement, up shot Leo’s hand.—
Flora Stubbs,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Feb. 2026
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So when the Post relaunched Book World in 2022, readers and writers reacted with the same mixture of amazement and trepidation inspired by the dinosaurs at Jurassic Park.—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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On ‘Redux Redux,’ she’d be getting dragged through the dirt screaming, and everyone else on the set was horrified.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Berman and other staffers are horrified by its vampiric presence, especially since the real George is completely unknown to most people under the age of 35, leaving Kennedy’s legacy forgotten.—
Joy Press,
Vanity Fair,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shock. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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